Significato: absolutely

'ab·so·lute·ly || 'æbsəluːtlɪadv. assolutamente, completamente, del tutto; senz'altro, veramente; certamente

TEL Idioma

bush telegraph

street gossip, through the grapevine Arne gets the news through the bush telegraph. People tell him.

Johnny-come-lately

new-comer He

put up at a hotel etc.

stay at a hotel or someone

tell a soul

(See won't tell a soul)

tell all

tell everything you know, pour out your soul In a job interview, I answer their questions, but I don't tell all.

tell apart

distinguish between two things or people It is hard to tell the two sisters apart.

tell him a thing or two

tell him he caused a problem, tell him off If Sid took my keys, I'm going to tell him a thing or two.

tell him off

tell him you are angry, tell him he is wrong If he mentions my toupee once more, I'm going to tell him off.

tell him where to get off

tell him what you think of him, tell him off If he complains about the meals, tell him where to get off.

tell him where to go

tell him to go to hell, tell him off If he criticizes the way I drive, I'll tell him where to go!

tell it like it is

be honest, sincere, tell the truth Although what he said was very difficult for everyone to believe he decided to tell it like it is anyway.

tell it to the marines (Sweeney)

I don

tell me another one

tell me another excuse, tell me another lie You say the spaceship took you away. Sure. Tell me another one.

tell me straight

(See give it to me straight)

tell on

tell a secret, tell about a crime, squeal Will Robbie tell on us? What if he tells the police we did it?

tell on someone

reveal the activities or wrongdoings of someone by telling others She told on her brother for eating the cake.

tell (someone) off

speak to angrily He told his neighbor off after their music was too loud last night.

won't tell a soul

will not tell anyone, keep it to yourself You can tell me your secret. I won't tell a soul.

you can't tell a book by its cover

the cover or surface does not reveal its contents, beauty is only skin deep If you buy a car because it looks nice, remember this: you can't tell a book by its cover.

absobloodylutely

absolutely

Absofuckinglutely

without doubt

telly

1. television
2. hotel

tell by

know by；judge by根据…判断
In England，it's easy to tell a person's class by his speech．在英国，根据一个人的言谈就很容易判断出其所属的社会阶层。

tell from

tell apart辨别；识别
Some people can't tell blue from green.在些人分辨不出蓝色与绿色。

tell off

reprove训斥；斥责
The director told off Jim for being late for work again. 吉姆又一次迟到了，受到主任的训斥。
The boss told his secretary off for making private telephone calls from the office．老板训斥了他的秘书，因为她从办公室往外打私人电话。
She didn't like being told off in front of other people, so she gave in her notice．她不愿意当众挨批评，于是递交了辞职通知书。

tell (up) on

1．disclose；inform against告密
I'll tell on you when the teacher gets back．老师回来时，我将把你的事汇报给老师。
Jimmy told on his brother for breaking the vase．吉姆把弟弟打碎花瓶的事告诉了妈妈。
2．have bad effect on对…有恶劣影响
All those late nights are beginning to tell on his health．他熬了那么多夜，身体受到了影响。
All this smoking and drinking will tell on his health in later life．这样地抽烟喝酒将对他今后的健康不利。
The noise pollution is telling on her nerves．噪音污染使她的神经受不了。

Time will tell

Idiom(s): Time will tell

Theme: TIME

A proverb meaning that something will become known in the course of time.
• I don't know if things will improve. Time will tell.
• Who knows what the future will bring? Only time will tell.

tell time

Idiom(s): tell time (2)

Theme: TIME

2. to be able to read time from a clock or watch.
• Billy is only four. He cant tell time yet.
• They are teaching the children to tell time at school.

tell things apart

Idiom(s): tell things apart

Theme: IDENTIFICATION

to distinguish one thing or a group of things from another thing or group of things.
• This one is gold, and the others are brass. Can you tell them apart?
• Without their labels, I can't tell them apart.

tell tales out of school

Idiom(s): tell tales out of school

Theme: GOSSIP

to tell secrets or spread rumors.
• I wish that John would keep quiet. He's telling tales out of school again.
• If you tell tales out of school a lot, people won't know when to believe you.

tell sb off

Idiom(s): tell sb off

Theme: SCOLDING

to scold someone; to attack someone verbally. (This has a sense of finality about it.)
• I was so mad at Bob that I told him off.
• By the end of the day, I had told off everyone else, too.

tell sb a thing or two

Idiom(s): tell someone a thing or two AND tell someone where to get off

Theme: SCOLDING

to scold someone; to express one's anger to someone; to tell someone off. (Informal.)
• Wait till I see Sally. I'll tell her a thing or two!
• She told me where to get off and then started in scolding Tom.

tell people apart

Idiom(s): tell people apart

Theme: IDENTIFICATION

to distinguish one person or a group of people from another person or group of people.
• Tom and John are brothers, and you can hardly tell them apart.
• Our team is wearing red, and the other team is wearing orange. I can't tell them apart.

tell one to one's face

Idiom(s): tell one to one's face

Theme: COMMUNICATION - VERBAL

to tell (something) to someone directly.
• I'm sorry that Sally feels that way about me. I wish she had told me to my face.
• I won't tell Tom that you're mad at him. You should tell him to his face.

tell its own story

Idiom(s): tell its own story AND tell its own tale

Theme: REVELATION

[for the state of something] to indicate clearly what has happened.
• The upturned boat told its own tale. The fisherman had drowned.
• The girl's tear-stained face told its own story.

tell it to the marines

Idiom(s): tell it to the marines

Theme: DISBELIEF

I do not believe you (maybe the marines will). (Informal.)
• That's silly. Tell it to the marines.
• I don't care how good you think your reason is. Tell it to the marines!

kiss and tell

Idiom(s): kiss and tell

Theme: GOSSIP

to participate in something secret and private, and then tell other people about it. (In actual use, it usually refers to a person of the opposite sex even when it does not refer to actual kissing. Fixed order.)
• The project was supposed to be a secret between Jane and me, but she spread it all around. I didn't think she was the type to kiss and tell.
• I am willing to discuss it with you, but only if you promise not to kiss and tell.

tell which is which

Idiom(s): know which is which AND tell which is which

Theme: IDENTIFICATION

to be able to distinguish one person or thing from another person or thing.
• I have an old one and a new one, but I don't know which is which.
• I know that Bill and Bob are twins, but I can't tell which is which.

tell sb where to get off

tell its own tale

Dead men tell no tales

A dead person cannot cause difficulties by revealing something that it would be preferable to conceal.

Only real friends will tell you when your face is

Only a real friend will tell you the truth.

Go tell it to birds

This is used when someone says something that is not credible or is a lie.

Tell them where the dog died

(USA) If you tell them where the dog died, you strongly and sharply correct someone.

I'll say|I tell you|say|tell

interj., informal I agree with this completely.

Used for emphasis. Did the children all enjoy Aunt Sally's pecan pie? I'll say! I'll say this is a good movie!

I'll tell you what|I tell you what|tell|tell you w

informal Here is an idea. The hamburger stand is closed, but I'll tell you what, let's go to my house and cook some hot dogs.

I'm telling you|tell

informal It is important to listen to what I am saying. Marian is a smart girl but I'm telling you, she doesn't always do what she promises.

Johnny-come-lately|Johnny

n. Someone new in a place or group; newcomer; also: a new person who takes an active part in group affairs before tlie group has accepted him; upstart. Everybody was amazed when a Johnny-come-lately beat the old favorite in the race. When it looked as though Mr. Brown had a good chance of winning, many Johnny-come-latelies began to support him.

a little bird told me|bird|little bird|tell

To have learned something from a mysterious, unknown, or secret source. "Who told you that Dean Smith was resigning?" Peter asked. "A little bird told me," Jim answered.

all told|all|tell|told

adv. phr., informal Counting or including everything. Including candy sale profits we have collected $300 all told.