| 释义 |
▪ I. tell, n.1 Now dial.|tɛl|
[f. tell v.]
1. What one tells or has to tell; a tale, a statement, an account.
1742H. Walpole Lett. to Mann 29 July, I am at the end of my tell. 1827F. Cooper Prairie I. ii. 32 From his tell, it must be a considerable stream. 1899Westcott David Harum xxx, As near's I c'n make out f'm Dave's tell, he must 'a' ben red-headed.
2. A talk, conversation, gossip.
1864Mrs. Lloyd Ladies Polc. 101, I made so bould as to come to see if you'd plase to have a bit of a tell with me afore I goes. 1901‘Zack’ Tales Dunstable Weir 99 Having a tongue she dearly liked a tell.
▪ II. ‖ tell, n.2|tɛl|
Also tel.
[a. Arab. tall a hillock.]
The Arab name for an artificial hillock or mound, usually one covering the ruins of an ancient city.
1864W. F. Ainsworth Comm. Xenophon's Anabasis 285 The hill..appears to have been one of the numerous artificial mounds, topes, or tells, sometimes sepulchral, sometimes heaps of ruin, which abound on the plain of Babylonia. 1878Conder Tentwork Pal. (1879) II. 46 We may next notice the most remarkable of its antiquities, namely the Tellûl or Tells there found. 1878Maclear Bk. Joshua xv. (1880) 149 The tell is very strong and it rises about 200 feet high. 1882F. S. de Hass Buried Cities iii. v. 380 (Funk) Tells or conical hills.., many of them the craters of extinct volcanoes.
▪ III. tell, v.|tɛl|
Pa. tense and pple. told |təʊld|. Forms: see below.
[OE. tęllan, pa. tense tealde, pa. pple. (ᵹe)teald, cognate with OFris. talja, tella, OS. tęlljan (talda, gitald), senses as in OE.; MLG., MDu., LG., Du. tellen to count, reckon, etc., OHG. *zęlljan, zęllen (zalta, gizalt), senses as in OE. (MHG. zęln, Ger. zählen to reckon, count), ON. tęlja to tell, relate, say, count, speak, Sw. tälja, Da. tælle to count, number, reckon; all:—OTeut. *taljan, f. *talā, OE. talu, tale n. OE. had also a pa. pple. ᵹetęled (in poetry, Beda, Orosius, Lindisf. and Rushw. Gl.); Anglian had pres. tense tęlest, tęleð, and pa. tense and pple. talde, ᵹetald (Vesp. Ps.), whence ME. tāld, and tōld. Tealde remained in Early ME. in southern dialects. The later dial. telld, tell'd, telt is a new formation from tell: cf. the forms of sell v.]
A. Illustration of Inflexional Forms.
1. Present stem. inf. OE. tellan, ME. telle(n, tel (4–7), Mod.E. tell.
c888K. ælfred Boeth. vii. §3 Ute nu tellan. Ibid. xviii. §3 Tele nu þa lengu. c1000Ags. Gosp. Matt. xi. 16 Hwam telle ic. a1090,c1175Telle [see B. 2, 1]. c1200Ormin 9500 Crist..wrohhte wundre miccle ma Þann icc ȝuw maȝȝ nu tellenn. c1250Kentish Serm. in O.E. Misc. 27 Þet us telþ þet holi godespel. 13..Cursor M. 96 Inogh to tell. Ibid. 10913 (Cott.) Wat þou quat for soth i tell [Gött. talle]? Ibid. 11477 Cums again and tels me. c1375Sc. Leg. Saints x. (Mathou) 30, I thinke to tel here why [etc.]. c1386,c1440Telle [see B. 1]. 1513Douglas æneis viii. viii. heading, Evander telland Eneas thingis seir. a1592Greene Vision Wks. (Grosart) XII. 200 Thus to tellen all the truth, He infected Romes youth. 1632Tel [see B. 3 (b)].
2. pa. tense. (α) 1–4 tealde (1 telede), 3 tælde, 4 teelde.
c888,c1000Tealde [see B. 1]. a1000Andreas 1105 (Gr.) Hi..hluton..teledon. c1205Lay. 13181 Þet heo nane manne ne tælden. c1315Tealde [see B. 4].
(β) 1, 3–5 talde, 4– 6 tald, 5–9 Sc. tauld.
a900Cynewulf Elene 909 Þone ic ær on firenum fæstne talde. c1205Lay. 1350 A steores-man ham talde. Ibid. 26884 Al heo talden [c 1275 tolde] þene wæi. 13..Cursor M. 511 Als i tald [Fairf. talde] ar. 1375Barbour Bruce i. 563 The Cwmyn raid to the king..& tald all this cass. 1567Tauld [see B. 17]. 1816Scott Old Mort. xxiv, Only he tauld me about it.
(γ) 3–6 tolde, 4– told. (Also 5 toold, tolled, tolded, 6 tould(e, 8 dial. towd.)
c1250Gen. & Ex. 3449 Moyses tolde ðis israel. c1340He told [see B. 2]. c1340Hampole Medit. Passion Wks. 1895 I. 93 Þou toldist it him biforen. 1418Abp. Chichele in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. i. I. 5, I..toold him owre comun avis. c1449Pecock Repr. 353 Which appering Constantyn toold in greet secretnes to the same Eusebi. c1450Lovelich Grail xliii. 225 Ȝit tolded thow it Neuere to non Man. 1540R. Hyrde tr. Vives' Instr. Chr. Wom. (1592) F viij, What hurt should come, Cato tolde before. 1582N. Lichefield tr. Castanheda's Conq. E. Ind. i. vi. 15 b, All which things the Generall tolde him. 1601Told [see B. 5]. 1790Mrs. Wheeler Westmld. Dial. 90 He towd Sammy he wor baun et wed wie his Cusin Ann.
(δ) 4 tellde, 4–5 telde, 4–6 teld, 5 tellid, 5–6 -yd, 5–6 (9 dial.) telled, 9 dial. tell'd, 6–9 dial. telt.
c1330R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 82 Þer men him teld, who was his aduersere. 13..Cursor M. 871 (Gött.), I teld [Cott. tald] þe. c1380Wyclif Serm. Sel. Wks. I. 166 If God tellde him specialy. 1399Langl. Rich. Redeles ii. 151 Trouthe..telde somme her sothes. 1453Agnes Paston in P. Lett. I. 255 Gurney tellyd hym he had byn at London. 1537Latimer Let. to Cromwell 14 Oct. in Rem. (Parker Soc.) 384, I telled him plainly my mind therein. 1554Cal. Anc. Rec. Dublin (1889) 436 The sam telt to the wywes. 1596Spenser F.Q. vi. i. 44 Sir Calidore upcheard, and to her teld All this accord. 1790Mrs. Wheeler Westmld. Dial. 34, I telt Bet I wad drive tea it. 1825Brockett N.C. Words s.v., Aw tell'd him on't. 1826J. Wilson Noct. Ambr. Wks. 1856 I. 144 Mr. Scroope telt Sir Walter.
3. pa. pple. (α) 1–2 (ᵹe)teald, 3 teald, 3–4 i-teld, 4 teeld.
c1000Leg. Rood (1871) 5 Ða þis þam mæran kasere constantine ᵹeteald wæs. c1200Trin. Coll. Hom. 215 Swo ich iteld habbe. c1380Wyclif Serm. Sel. Wks. I. 169 Crist haþ teeld þat þis hiȝe charite techiþ a man to putte his lyf for love of hise frendis.
(β) 3 i-tald, 4 y-tald, taald, 4–8 tald(e, 5 Sc. tallde, 5–9 Sc. tauld, 6 tawld.
c1205Lay. 12092 Nes hit neowhær itald. Ibid. 22999 Þar nas na cniht wel itald [c 1275 itold]. 13..Cursor M. 3330 Til he þam had his errand tald. Ibid. 8765 Þis tre i haf of forwit taald. 1340Y-tald [see B. 1]. 1488Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot. I. 79 Tauld in presence of the Chancellare. 1588A. King tr. Canisius' Catech. 185 As I haue tauld in tymes past. 1725Ramsay Gentle Sheph. iii. ii, Do you get them tald you in your sleep? 1816Scott Old Mort. xxxviii, I wadna hae tauld ye.
(γ) 3–5 i-told(-e), 3– told. (Also 3–7 tolde, 4–5 toold (5 y-tolte), 6 tould, towld, (tollyd).)
c1220Bestiary 758 in O.E. Misc. 24 Ilk der..foleȝen him [the panther]..For ðe swetnesse ðe ic ȝu haue told. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 1634 King aruirag of wan we abbeþ itold. Ibid. 7569 As me aþ er ytold. 1303Tolde [see B. 1]. 1382Wyclif 2 Sam iii. 23 So it is toold to Joab of tellers. 1387Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VIII. 149 Rehersed how it was i-told. c1400Destr. Troy 12816 Tithinges hor tolde were. c1420Chron. Vilod. 1830 Hit was..To seynt Dunston ysende & by tokon to hym y-tolte. c1430Hymns Virg. 37/69 Theise .iij. þat y haue of toold. 1538Starkey England i. i. 22 A tale tollyd among deffe men. 1584in Cath. Rec. Soc. Publ. V. 64 Yt was towld him by his cosine. 1586Hunsdon in Border Papers (1894) I. 367, I toulde him of sondrie cawses.
(δ) 4 telld, 4–6 teld, 5–6 (8–9 dial.) telled, 6–9 telt, 8–9 dial. tell'd, Sc. tell't.
13..Cursor M. 4640 (Gött.) Nou has he Teld me. Ibid. 6752 (Cott.) It sal be slaghter telld o man. c1489Caxton Sonnes of Aymon 174 Nowe have I telled you that that ye have asked me. 1560Pilkington Expos. Aggeus (1562) 13 The thinge is true which is telled. 1596Spenser F.Q. vii. vi. 27 Witnesse, ye Heavens, the truth of all that I have teld. a1818in Scott Hrt. Midl. Introd., In a' thae wee bits o' ways I ha'e tell't ye. 1824Scott St. Ronan's ii, I hae been tell'd by ane that suld ken. 1900Telled [see B. 8 b].
B. Signification.
I. To mention in order, narrate, relate, make known, declare.
* trans. to tell things or a thing.
†1. To mention or name (a series of things) one after another in order; to recount, enumerate; to give a list of. Obs.
c888K. ælfred Boeth. xxxvii. §2 Do ðæs lean to ðæm forsprecenan goodum þe ic þe ær tealde on þære þriddan bec. c1000ælfric Hom. (Th.) II. 428 Se sunder-halᵹa..He..tealde his godan dæda. c1175Lamb. Hom. 9 Feole oðre..werke þe nu were long eou to telle. c1200Trin. Coll. Hom. 71 Þere we shule tellen alle ure gultes. c1250Gen. & Ex. 497 Ic wile riȝt tellen, if ic can, Adam, Seth, Enos, Caynan, Malaleel, Iareth, Enoch. 1303R. Brunne Handl. Synne 12624 Ȝow to withholde Fro þe synnes þat byfore are tolde. 1340Ayenb. 24 Alle þise guodes of kende þet ich habbe ssortiliche y-tald. c1386Chaucer Can. Yeom. Prol. & T. 246 Arsenyk sal Armonyak and Brymstoon And herbes koude I telle eek many oon. c1440Jacob's Well 152 Out of euyll tunge springeth x. braunchys. Þe v. I telde ȝou þe oþer day, þe oþere v. I schal telle ȝow now.
2. a. To give an account or narrative of (facts, actions, or events); to narrate, relate. (With simple obj. or obj. clause; sometimes with indirect obj. as in 3.) Also to tell over.
c1000Leg. Rood (1871) 5 Hi..tealdon him þa þrowunga þe ure hælend on þære rode ðrowode. a1090O.E. Chron. an. 1085, Þeah ic hit lengre telle. a1154Ibid. an. 1137, I ne can ne i ne mai tellen alle þe wunder. a1225Juliana 40 Þah ich þe talde al dei ne mahte ich þe tellen þe wundres. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 7198 Þo gan he to tellen þis [vision]. a1300Cursor M. 141 Þar neist sal be sythen tald How þat ioseph was boght and sald. c1340Ibid. 1330 (Gött.) He..told him all þat he had sene. c1380Wyclif Sel. Wks. II. 105 Þis gospel telliþ furþere how þes Jewis pursueden Crist. 1470–85Malory Arthur ii. xiii. 91 It telleth after in the sangraylle that syre Percyualis syster halpe that lady with her blood wherof she was dede. 1526Tindale Acts xv. 12 Barnabas and Paul..tolde what signes and wondres God had shewed. 1671Milton P.R. ii. 306 Others of some note, As story tells, have trod this Wilderness. 1746Francis tr. Hor. Sat. ii. vi. 163 A country mouse, as authors tell, Of old invited to his cell A city mouse. 1779Mirror No. 23 ⁋5 These [actions] were told to his honour. 1821Scott Kenilw. xvi, Thou art..a tattling knave to tell over again his fooleries. 1833Cruse Eusebius vii. xi. 289 After these..he proceeds to tell what happened to him. c1850Arab. Nts. (Rtldg.) 552 She then went on with her narrative, and told him in what manner she had obtained an audience. Mod. What happened to him there has often been told.
b. With the narrative as obj. Now only with tale or story: see 17.
1576Gascoigne Philomene (Arb.) 92 She by whom I meane To tell this woful Tragedie Was called Phylomene.
c. intr. for pass. To be related with a particular effect; to sound (well, etc.) when told.
1584Hudson Du Bartas' Judith in Sylvester (1621) 696 Then, fathers, choose your warres; for better tels To lose like Jewes, then winne like infidels. 1782F. Burney Cecilia vi. ii, I had as lieve the things were false as not, for they tell as well the one way as the other.
3. a. To make known by speech or writing; to communicate (information, facts, ideas, news, etc.); to state, announce, report, intimate. Usually const. with indirect obj. (dat.) or to.
(a) With the direct object a n. or pron.
Examples of the direct passive are included here; for the indirect passive with the person as subj., see 8 b.
c1122[see (b)]. c1200Trin. Coll. Hom. 31 Gode tiðinge..us telleð..seinte lucas on þe holie godspelle. c1290Beket 1188 in S. Eng. Leg. I. 140 He..tolde hire al is þouȝt. 13..Cursor M. 4624, I wat þou tells [v.rr. tellis, tellest] it me for noght. 1340–70Alex. & Dind. 207 Tel me þe soþe. c1380Wyclif Wks. (1880) 300 Poul telliþ here a rewele þat cristen men shulden holde. 1390Gower Conf. III. 368 Ech his oghne avis Hath told, on that, an other this. c1400Brut lxii. 57 Telle me þe enchesone wherefore I ame to ȝow brouȝt. 1474Caxton Chesse ii. iv. (1883) 47 And they told hym the trouthe. 1513Douglas æneis viii. iv. heading, Evander tellis till Enee but baid, The verray caus. 1526Tindale Luke i. 45 Thoose thinges..which were tolde the from the lorde. ― Acts xxvii. 25, I beleve God that so it shalbe even as it was tolde me. 1611Bible Gen. xxiv. 33, I will not eate, vntill I haue tolde mine errand. 1606Shakes. Tr. & Cr. i. iii. 284 This shall be told our Louers. 1673S'too him Bayes 23 I'le tell you one piece of my mind. 1746Francis Hor. Epist. i. vi. 74 Let's buy a Slave to tell each Voter's Name. 1759Johnson Idler No. 63 ⁋6 The studious and ambitious contend..who shall tell their thoughts in the most pleasing manner. 1821Scott Kenilw. xv, Tell us your mystery of multiplying. 1856J. H. Newman Serm. Var. Occas. (1881) i. 12 Nor, even though it be told to her, can she enter into it. 1896Standard 15 Jan. 7/2 He said much, but told little, at to-day's meeting. Mod. Who told you that?
(b) With direct obj. a clause, with or without that.
In the direct passive the clause usually follows the vb., its place before the vb. being supplied by it (it was told him that, etc.). For the indirect passive, see 8 b.
c1122O.E. Chron. an. 1046, Þa..Sweᵹen..tealde þæt his sciperes woldon wændon fram him buton he þe raðor come. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 5357 Þou ssalt þi wille abide as ich þe abbe ytold here. a1300Cursor M. 4843 Tells me quat kin man yur fader be. c1380[see A. 3 α]. c1440Jacob's Well 203, I teld ȝou þat a schouyl hath iij. partys: a scho, an heued, & an handyl. 1535Lyndesay Satyre 1506 Now I will rin, but rest, And tell that all is ready. 1535Coverdale 1 Sam. xxiii. 7 Then was it tolde Saul that Dauid was come to Cegila. 1560J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 90 b, He tolde to the other playnely that..he would take from him the ward⁓shyp of his nephewe. 1611Bible Acts xxiii. 30 When it was tolde me, how that the Iewes laid waite for the man. 1632Sanderson Serm. 6 Yet Salomon tels us, the poore mans wisdome is despised. 1681–6J. Scott Chr. Life (1747) III. 523 Our Saviour himself tells us, that the Father judgeth no Man. 1790Burns Tam O'Shanter 19 She tauld thee weel thou was a skellum. 1833T. Hook Parson's Dau. i. v, And I say, Charles, tell her we are coming to coffee forthwith. 1838Longfellow Ps. Life, Tell me not, in mournful numbers, Life is but an empty dream! 1908R. Bagot A. Cuthbert xxviii. 367 There had always been something mysterious about Anthony Cuthbert, the doctor told himself. Mod. It was told me that you had been inquiring about me.
b. To declare, state formally or publicly; to announce, proclaim, publish. Also fig.
tell it not in Gath (from 2 Sam. i. 20), publish it not to the enemy, or to the Philistine, or to the world.
a1300E.E. Psalter xviii. [xix.] 1 Heuens telles goddis blisse. a1325Prose Psalter xlix. 7 [l. 6] Þe heuens shul tellen his riȝtfulnes. Ibid. l. 16 [li. 15] My mouþe shall tellen þyn heryyng. 1382Wyclif 2 Sam. i. 20 Woleth ȝe not telle in Geth, ne telle ȝe in..Aschalon. 1382― Acts xvii. 18 He [Paul] telde to hem Jhesu and aȝen rysing. 1535Coverdale Ps. xcv[i]. 10 Tell it out amonge the Heithen, that the Lorde is kynge. 1602Shakes. Ham. i. ii. 126 No iocond health that Denmarke drinkes to day But the great Cannon to the Clowds shall tell. 1656Earl of Monmouth tr. Boccalini's Advts. fr. Parnass. ii. xxxviii. (1674) 190 The Master of the Colledge, told in the name of the whole Senate, That [etc.]. 1751S. Richardson Let. 11 July (1964) 185 A wise man to be in love! Tell it not in Gath. c1795Cowper Needless Alarm 34 Ere yet with ruthless joy the happy hound Told hill and dale that Reynard's track was found. 1816M. R. Mitford Let. 20 Oct. (1925) 135 My favourite play (‘tell it not in Gath!’) is the first part of King Henry the Fourth. 1819Keats Isabella x. xix, Many a chapel bell the hour is telling. 1904M. Corelli God's Gd. Man xx, The fact is—but tell it not in Gath—I was happier without them!
c. fig. To make known or indicate as if by language; to bespeak.
1809Heber Poems, Europe 29 May those bleak summits tell The field of Anger where the mighty fell. 1827Clare Sheph. Cal. 148, I care not what this foolish trifling tells.
4. a. To utter (words); to say over, recite (a passage, composition, etc.); to say. Now dial.
c1315Shoreham iii. 120 Many man..hym ne douteþ of no breche Of godes hestes healde [= old]; Ac he not nefer wat hy beeþ, Ne neuer hy ne tealde. 1382Wyclif Ps. cxviii. [cxix.] 171 My lippis shuln tellen out an impne. 1390Gower Conf. I. 107 It semeth that a belle Lik to the wordes that men telle Answerth riht. 1567Gude & Godlie B. (S.T.S.) 201 His [the Pope's] numerat Aueis, and Psalmes tauld. 1573–80Baret Alv. T 105 To tell by heart, recito. a1653Binning Serm. (1845) 445 You use to tell over some words in your prayers. 1841Helps Ess., Self-Discipline (1875) 21 To think that a man can find nothing better to do, in the presence of his Creator, than telling off so many words! 1880Cornwall Gloss. s.v., Can you tell your lessons?
b. To utter, speak, say (things).
1377Langl. P. Pl. B. v. 408 Ȝif I bidde any bedes..Þat I telle with my tonge is two myle fro myne herte. 1535Coverdale Ecclus. xxi. 25 The lippes of the vnwyse wylbe tellynge foolish thinges. 1628Hobbes Thucyd. (1822) 79 Many prophecies were told and many sung by the priests of the oracles. 1715–20Pope Iliad ix. 412 Who dares think one thing, and another tell, My heart detests him as the gates of hell. 1787Burns Birthday Ode 47 Till all the frighted echoes tell The blood-notes of the chase! 1888Elworthy W. Som. Gloss. s.v., Don't tell up such stuff.
c. To express in words (thoughts, things known).
c1200Moral Ode 285 Ne mai non heorte it þenche, ne no tunge ne can telle. c1250Death 57 in O.E. Misc. 172 Ne miȝte no tunge tellen Þat euer wes iboren Þe stronge pine of helle. a1300Cursor M. 96 (Cott.) Qua sa will of hyr fayrnes spell, Find he sal inogh to tell. c1430Freemasonry 664 The vertu therof no mon telle may. 1650Cromwell Let. 12 Sept., in Carlyle, Which speaking the instructed, the edified and comforted can best tell the energy and effect of. 1875Jowett Plato (ed. 2) I. 82 Let me tell you the pleasure which I feel in hearing of your fame.
d. to tell out, away (dial.): to drive away (pain, etc.) by uttering incantations.
1822Hibbert Shetl. Isl. (1891) 272 (E.D.D.) The religious charmer of Shetland would mutter some words over water,..and limbs were washed with it, for the purpose of telling out pains. 1869Reid Art Rambles in Shetl. 25 Papa Stourians believed that the beadle of the kirk had the power of ‘telling’ the sparrows away so as never to return. 1879Low Tour Ork. & Shetl. 203 When she was a child..she has heard from others that a pain or a stitch has been telled out in that manner.
5. a. To disclose or reveal (something secret or private); to divulge. Also in phr. to tell all, to reveal the whole truth, esp. in a sensational manner (freq. with ref. to the printed word); now usu. without indirect obj. to tell tales: see tale n. 3 c.
a1400Pistill of Susan 141 We schal telle trewely We toke þe wiþ a-voutri. 1445tr. Claudian in Anglia XXVIII. 277 Thise goddis the telle þin enemyes sleightes, and lede to þe couchis of fraude. 1601Shakes. Twel. N. ii. iv. 113 She neuer told her loue. 1615G. Sandys Trav. 72 Many there are that undertake to tell fortunes. 1819Keats Isabella v, I may not speak, And yet I will, and tell my love all plain. 1848Thackeray Van. Fair xviii, She told no more of her thoughts now than she had before. 1897B. Stoker Dracula v. 57, I do so want to tell you all. 1936Mademoiselle Aug. 16 (heading) Mrs Chester tells all. 1971J. Lofland Analyzing Social Settings vi. 132 We delude ourselves if we expect very many field workers actually to ‘tell all’ in print.
†b. To reveal (something future); to foretell, predict.
1340–70Alex. & Dind. 776 Tokne of þat turment tolde ȝoure eldren. 13..Cursor M. 9265 (Fairf.) Crist was talde wiþ prophecy. c1380Wyclif Serm. Sel. Wks. II. 2 Þis Gospel of Mark bigynneþ how Crist was teld in þe olde lawe. a1400–50Alexander 200 Alle þe sawis of þaire Syre as Siraphis tald Þare gan þai graithly þam graue. [1884tr. Lotze's Logic 303 No perception can tell us the future with the present.]
†6. To pray for, beg, ask. Obs. rare.
1393Langl. P. Pl. C. viii. 298 Ich praye ȝow, peers, paraunter yf ȝe meteþ Treuthe, telleþ to hym þat ich be excused. 14..Trentalle St. Gregorii in Tundale's Vis. (1843) 79 God moder my dere dame..Of Gode to tell mercy thou gine. 14..Lybeaus Disc. 1755 To the castell he rod,..To Jhesu bad and tolde, To sende hym tydynge glad.
7. a. To discern so as to be able to say with knowledge or certainty; hence, to distinguish, recognize, decide, determine. Also with apart.
1687A. Lovell tr. Thevenot's Trav. ii. 142 It is hard to tell whether it be a Horse or an Elephant. 1746Francis tr. Hor. Sat. ii. iv. 58 None before me so sapient to engage To tell the various nature, or the age Of fish and fowl. 1840R. H. Dana Bef. Mast xiii. 29 They can be told by their complexions, dress, manner, and also by their speech. 1883Gilmour Mongols xvi. 195 An ordinary man of common intelligence can tell a wall raised by..a competent builder from the attempted imitation of a bungling amateur. 1899A. Birrell in Daily News 4 Nov. 3/2 Is it possible to tell a good book from a bad one? 1925A. Loos Gentlemen prefer Blondes (1982) iv. 86 How are we going to tell you gentlemen apart? 1958K. Amis I like it Here xiv. 178 Barbara had complained to him..that she couldn't tell people apart (he found as little difficulty here as he found in telling female film⁓stars apart). 1982B. Chatwin On Black Hill i. 10 As boys, only their mother could tell them apart.
b. Preceded by can: To be able to state; to know; to discern, perceive, make out, understand. Often in negative or interrogative sentences, as nobody can tell, who can tell? Cf. say v.1 6 b.
1370Robt. Cicyle 244 Wher such cloþ was to selle, Ne ho hit made, couþe noman telle. a1400–50Alexander 248 Þai can swyth of a sweuyn all þe swepe tell. c1449Pecock Repr. iii. xii. 353 No man can telle who wroot it. 1526Tindale John xvi. 18 We cannot tell what he saith [Gr. οὐκ οἴδαµεν τί λαλεῖ: R.V. 1881 We know not what he saith]. 1553T. Wilson Rhet. (1580) 160 Neither can he otherwise chuse but stumble: that gropyng in the darcke can not tell where he is. 1783Johnson Let. to Mrs. Thrale 23 July, Whether this short rustication has done me any good I cannot tell. 1838Arnold Hist. Rome (1848) I. 99 Nor can any one tell at what time they attained to their present shape. 1873Mrs. Oliphant Innocent II. 231 It was..a dog-cart.. he could tell as much by the sound. 1888‘J. S. Winter’ Bootle's Childr. vi, Jane doesn't seem to like it—I can't tell why. 1920F. Scott Fitzgerald This Side of Paradise i. ii. 56 He was.., as Amory could tell from his general appearance, without much conception of social competition. 1924‘K. Mansfield’ Something Childish 124 They're not respectable women—you can tell at a glance. 1936‘G. Orwell’ Diary 11 Feb. in Coll. Essays (1968) I. 176 You can always tell a miner by the blue tattooing of coal dust on the bridge of his nose. 1963J. Fowles Collector i. 49, I always thought people could tell I lived on my own. 1966S. Heaney Death of Naturalist 15 You could tell the weather by frogs too.
** trans. to tell a person (the originally indirect or dative personal object becoming the direct).
Some uses, as 9, hover between * and **.
8. a. To inform (a person) of something; to make aware, apprise, acquaint; to instruct. Also colloq. and dial. To direct the attention of (a person) to a fault or the like by way of admonition. Const. of, about, and with direct speech as obj.
c1205Lay. 12946 Ic þe wulle tællen Of uncuðe spællen. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 322 Of þe maumet hii tolde brut þat hii fonde þere. Ibid. 3510 Me tolde him of a gret duc þat het theldryk. a1300Cursor M. 11393 (Cott.) Vs telles alsua iohn..Of a folk ferr and first vncuth. c1440Jacob's Well 152 The oþer day, I told ȝow of þe wose of glotonye. c1470Henry Wallace i. 263 He tald his modyr of his sodane cas. 1573–80Baret Alv. T 108 He shewed me, or tolde me of my fault. 1713Berkeley Hylas & Phil. iii, Moses tells us of a creation. a1911Mod. Sit down and tell us about it. 1916H. S. Walpole Dark Forest i. v. 135 ‘I can't marry you,’ she told him, ‘because I don't love you.’ 1943G. Greene Ministry of Fear ii. i. 135 ‘Mr Digby,’ she told him, ‘there's a visitor for you.’ 1976H. MacInnes Agent in Place xxii. 231 ‘The police—call the police.’ ‘It's done,’ Tony told her.
(b) Const. so (representing that, or an object clause, and thus coming very near 3 a (a), (b). Phr. I told you so, used to remind the person addressed that he has previously been warned that his actions would incur misfortune. As n., a person who uses this expression or adopts this attitude; such an expression or attitude; used attrib. (as I-told-you-so) to denote such an attitude. Also used as a kind of quasi-vb.
c1412Hoccleve De Reg. Princ. 717, I tolde hyme so; & euer he seyde nay. 1609B. Jonson Sil. Wom. iv. ii, I told you so, sir, and you would not beleeue me. 1823Byron Juan xiv. l. 3 Sadder than owl-songs or the midnight blast, Is that portentous phrase, ‘I told you so’. 1898We-told-you-so (attrib.) [see poker-backed s.v. poker n.1 9]. 1904[see bouquet 1 b]. 1919W. De Morgan Old Madhouse xxviii. 435 Perhaps I'm only I-told-you-soing. 1926Whiteman & McBride Jazz iii. 49, I really did debate whether I hadn't better give up and let the I-told-you-so's, who said jazz would bring me to no good end, have it their own way. 1930J. Dos Passos 42nd Parallel iv. 299 Alice had an Itoldyouso manner. 1936M. Plowman Faith called Pacifism 81 Mr. Lloyd George, as the wild cat of the House of David, said: ‘I told you so.’ 1954W. Faulkner Fable (1955) 43 His I-told-you-so to the elders. 1959A. Lejeune Crowded & Dangerous xi. 125 She'll..put on that disapproving I-told-you-so look.
b. The passive is not only used with the const. of, about, but is often substituted for that of sense 3 (a), as in he was told the truth, we were not told the reason; and now usually for that of 3 (b), as I was told that you were coming.
1600Shakes. A.Y.L. iii. ii. 361, I haue bin told so of many. 1607― Timon iv. iii. 214 Thou wast told thus. 1611― Wint. T. ii. ii. 31 He must be told on't, and he shall. 1781Cowper Expost. 66 Pleasure is deaf when told of future pain. 1821Scott Kenilw. xxxvi, Wherefore was I not told of all this? 1898Mrs. H. Ward Helbeck i. v. 101 He's that masterful he woan't be towd. 1900H. Sutcliffe Shameless Wayne xiii. 170 He's getten a peffing cough.., but he willun't be telled. Mod. Has any one been told about it?
1599Shakes. Hen. V, iii. vii. 113, I was told that, by one that knowes him. 1599― Much Ado v. iv. 96, I was told, you were in a consumption. 1863Kingsley Lett. (1878) II. 149 When I am told that the Lancashire system is perfect. 1895Kay in Law Times Rep. LXXIII. 623/1 He asked if his wife was there, and being told she was not, he..left the lodge.
c. Const. on. To act as informer to (a person) about (another). Cf. sense 16.
1901M. Franklin My Brilliant Career xiii. 107 Now, not a step do you go, my fine young blood, until you pick up every jolly lemon and put them away tidily, or I'll tell the missus on you. 1943Crisis Mar. 78/3 If he told the Big God on them, no telling what would happen.
9. To assert positively to; to assure (a person). Often parenthetically in expressions of emphasis.
c1440York Myst. xxx. 452 This touches no tresoune, I telle you. 1526Tindale Luke xii. 59, I tell the thou departest not thence, tyll thou have made goode the vtmose farthynge. a1596Sir T. More i. i. 110 And he is in a good forwardnesse, I telle ye, if all hit right. 1712Steele Spect. No. 480 ⁋3 Give me leave to tell you, Sir, this is the reason. 1732Berkeley Alciphr. iv. §2 Let me tell you I am not to be persuaded by metaphysical arguments. 1817T. L. Peacock Melincourt vii, Very orthodox old wine in the cellar, I can tell you. 1905F. Young Sands Pleas. i. iii, I tell you, it got on my nerves.
10. To order or direct (a person) to do something; to bid, to request authoritatively.
1599B. Jonson Cynthia's Rev. ii. i, Place your mirror in your hat, as I told you. [In passive, as you were told.] 1693R. Lyde Retaking Ship called Friend's Adventure 10, I told him to knock down that Man at the Helm. 1879T. L. Cuyler Pointed Papers 19 Christ nowhere tells sinners to wait for revivals. 1891M. M. Dowie Girl in Karp. 19, I told the man to go on. [In passive, The man was told to go on.] 1899Kipling Stalky i. 15 Tell the Sergeant to keep his eye open.
†11. To direct (a person) to a place: cf. teach v. 3. Obs. rare.
1470–85Malory Arthur xvi. x. 678 Canst thow telle me vnto somme chappel where that I may burye this body?
*** Intransitive uses.
12. To give an account, description, or report. Const. of, about. (intr. of 1 and 2.)
a1300Cursor M. 2139 Begine we now to tell at sem And siþen of his bern-tem. Ibid. 4238 Leue we now iacob in þis care To tell of ioseph and his fare. c1440Alphabet of Tales 164 Seneca tellis of a philosophur þat hight Pictagoricus. 1590Spenser F.Q. i. v. 26 What art thou, that telst of Nephews kilt? 1738Gray Propertius iii. 59 Sailors to tell of Winds and Seas delight. 1812Crabbe Tales ii. 510 He told of bloody fights. 1830Scott Hrt. Midl. vi. note, A near relation of the Author's used to tell of having been stopped by the rioters, and escorted home in the manner described.
†13. To make a statement, communication, or announcement; to speak, discourse. Obs. (intr. of 3.)
c888K. ælfred Boeth. vii. §3 Ute nu tellan beforan swilcum deman swilce þu wille. 13..Seuyn Sag. (W.) 1228 ‘Sei on dame!’ and sche bigan To tellen als a fals wimman. 1382Wyclif Isa. vii. 2 And thei tolden to the hous of Dauid, seiende, Siria rested vp on Effraym. c1450Merlin i. 21, I pray the..tellith to Blase my moders confessour. 1535Lyndesay Satyre 2154 Tell on. Ar ȝe content? 1558T. Phaer æneid. ii. C iij b, They..fixt with eies ententiue did behold, Whan Lord æneas..from hie bench thus he told.
14. fig. To give evidence, be an indication of. (intr. of 3 c.)
1798Coleridge Anc. Mar. vii. x, All was still, save that the hill Was telling of the sound. 1833H. Martineau Briery Creek v, There was so little that told of delusion in the calm simplicity of the doctor's countenance. 1853Kingsley Hypatia i, His hard hands and sinewy sunburnt limbs told of labour and endurance. 1873Tristram Moab vi. 111 Blocks of basalt..telling of a still more ancient Moabite city.
15. To speak, talk, converse, gossip. Cf. tale v. 6. Now dial. (intr. of 4.)
a1652Brome Damoiselle i. i. Wks. 1873 I. 385 At his Inne in Holborne Telling a little with the Host. 1888Elworthy W. Somerset Gloss. s.v., I zeed 'em tellin' together..the night avore. 1892S. Hewett Peasant Sp. Devon 21 'E's behind telling tu Mr. Baker.
16. To disclose something wished to be kept secret; to play the informer, inform, tell tales, blab. Const. on, of (a person). (intr. of 5.)
1539Bible (Great) 1 Sam. xxvii. 11 Dauid saued nether man nor woman alyue..for feare (sayeth he) leste they shuld telle on vs. 1818Scott Rob Roy xi, I ask no questions—no man bound to tell on himsell. 1835Marryat Jac. Faithf. xxxiii, I had resolved to tell, and did so, narrating distinctly the circumstances by which the money had been obtained. 1860Geo. Eliot Mill on Fl. i. v, He didn't want to ‘tell’ of Maggie. 1897‘Tivoli’ (H. W. Bleakley) Short Innings xiv, Oh, I'll not tell if you don't want me to. 1897C. M. Campbell Deilie Jock i. 16 Bobe..used to get mair than his fair share o' the tawse as it was, without my tellin' on him. 1943B. Smith Tree grows in Brooklyn iii. xxxv. 206 And I didn't tell on you either, the time you made a cigarette out of coffee grounds and when you smoked it the paper caught fire and fell on her blouse and burned a big hole in it. 1955J. Masters Coromandel! 41 Do you think she'll tell on us? 1968J. Lock Lady Policeman xx. 162 They felt they ought not to ‘tell on her’ unless it was absolutely necessary. 1974Age (Melbourne) 12 Oct. 12/1 Ooh Aah! I'm going to tell on you: I will inform the authorities.
**** Phrases and locutions.
17. a. to tell a tale, to relate a story or narrative; to tell one's tale, to relate one's story; also, to say what one has to tell, to deliver one's message: see tale n. 3; to tell the tale, to relate a false or exaggerated story, esp. in order to evoke a sympathetic response.
c1275Passion 1 in O.E. Misc. 37 One lutele tale, þat ich eu wille telle. c1386Chaucer Prol. 792 That ech of yow to shorte with oure weye In this viage shal telle tales tweye. c1450tr. De Imitatione i. xvii. 19 Þou art called to suffre & to labore, not to be idel & telle tales. a1548Hall Chron., Edw. IV 199 b, The erle had not halfe tolde his tale. 1549Compl. Scot. vi. 63, I thynk it best that euyrie ane of vs tel ane gude tayl or fabil, to pas the tyme quhil euyn... Than the eldest scheiphird began, and al the laif follouit, ane be ane in ther auen place. 1567Satir. Poems Reform. vii. 4 Eich of thame his taill in ordoure tauld. 1596Shakes. Merch. V. iv. i. 276 When the tale is told, bid her be iudge. 1601Weever Mirr. Mart. iv, One tale is good, untill another's told. 1613Purchas Pilgrimage (1614) 208 A great part of the day after they sit at Cardes, or telling of Tales. 1875Jowett Plato (ed. 2) V. 366 My tale is one which many a man would be afraid to tell. 1918W. J. Locke Rough Road xi. 133 The temptation to ‘tell the tale’, to the new-comer was too strong. 1928Daily Express 15 Dec. 7/4 Moneylender at Bow County Court. What did you tell me when you borrowed the money? Debtor: Oh, we all tell the tale when we want money. 1943J. B. Priestley Daylight on Saturday ii. 9 The absentees tell the tale to the National Service Officer, and he tells the tale to Proscot, and nothing's done. 1968‘J. le Carré’ Small Town in Germany xiii. 204 He couldn't half tell the tale... He could tell you any bloody tale and you believed it. 1979R. Blythe View in Winter iv. 175 I'm not tellin' the tale. We all went to the war.
In the passage1632Milton L'Allegro 67 ‘And every Shepherd tells his tale Under the Hawthorn in the dale’, tells his tale probably belongs here, though some modern editors refer it to sense 21, taking it as ‘counts his number or sum (i.e. of sheep)’; but no instance has been found before the 19th c., of ‘tell his (or a) tale’ in a numerical sense: while the expression in its ordinary sense has been common since the 13th century. Cf. also quot. 1549 for the telling of tales by each shepherd in turn, and see the whole passage, also the context of quot. 1613 in sense 21, where ‘underneath a hawthorn’ appears as the place of the shepherds' recreation.
b. to tell tales: see tale n. 3 c.
c. So to tell a story: see story.
a1225Ancr. R. 154 Me schal..tellen ou þeos storie, uor hit were to long to writen ham here. 1590Shakes. Com. Err. i. i. 121 To tell sad stories of my owne mishaps. 1681Dryden Span. Friar iv. ii, Before I tell my fatal story out. 1798Ferriar Illustr. Sterne ii. 45 Another of his speakers tells the following story. 1840W. H. Mill Observ., etc. i. 114 The experience and history of mankind tells, uniformly, a different story from this. 1841Lane Arab. Nts. I. 97 This is not a time for telling stories, when I am in this prison.
d. to tell (someone) goodbye, hello, etc., to say goodbye, hello, etc., (to someone). Chiefly U.S.
1859Bartlett Dict. Amer. (ed. 2) 475 To tell one good-bye, is the Southern phrase for to bid one good-bye. 1872E. Eggleston End of World xviii. 128 You aren't going without telling me good-by? 1884A. J. Wilson Vashti vii. (U.S.), ‘Did Ulpian tell you good-bye?’ ‘No, I have not seen him.’ 1905B. Tarkington In Arena 253 She told me to tell you good-bye. 1973V. Canning Flight of Grey Goose ii. 28 Tell Albert hello and love to you both. 1979L. Meynell Hooky & Villainous Chauffeur viii. 111 Mr Furlong asked me to tell you goodbye.
18. to tell (the) truth († sooth), to make a true statement; to state or report the fact or circumstance as it really is. Also used parenthetically (to tell the truth, truth to tell, etc.) to emphasize a statement: cf. say v.1 B. 7. So to tell a lie (tell a falsehood, tell an untruth), to make a wilfully false statement or report. (See also the ns. sooth, truth, lie, etc.)
c1350Will. Palerne 34 Soþ forto telle, al his cler colour comsed forto fade. Ibid. 160 But trewþe for to telle whan time come of daye [etc.]. c1400Destr. Troy 2338, I shall telle you the trewthe how me tyde euyn. 1536Cheke Rem. Sedition B ij, All thynges telle truthe but man. 1596Shakes. 1 Hen. IV, iii. i. 58 Tell truth, and shame the Deuill. 1596–[see lie n.1 1]. 1764Gray J. Twitcher 27 The prophet of Bethel, we read, told a lie. 1848Thackeray Van. Fair lii, It was not the habit of this dear creature to tell false⁓hoods, except when necessity compelled. 1855H. Rogers Ess. II. vii. 323 Sooth to tell, the narrative of the achievements..draws largely on our faith.
19. to hear tell († told); usually const. of: see hear v. 3 c. Now chiefly dial. and colloq.
c1220Herd told, 1297 Hurde tell [see hear v. 3 c]. c1330R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 101, I haf herd told of þis duke Roberd. 1375Barbour Bruce ii. 46 That Ik herd neuir in Romanys tell. c1400Melayne 47 That Charls was thare he herde telle. 1545R. Ascham Toxoph. i. (Arb.) 100 Was never sene nor hard tel on yet. 1589,1892[see hear v. 3 b]. 1886Stevenson Kidnapped ii. 9, I asked him if he had ever heard tell of a house they called the house of Shaws.
20. In various colloquial expressions:
never tell me, expressing incredulity or impatience; do tell! (U.S., New England), an exclamation of surprise, = ‘is it possible?’, ‘you don't say so!’; don't tell me, expressing incredulity, impatience, or (with dependent clause) dismay; I'll tell you what = ‘I'll tell you what it is’, or ‘I'll tell you something’; to tell any one his own: to tell him frankly of his faults; to tell the world, to announce openly; to assert emphatically; I tell (or I am telling) a lie, (in trivial use) I am mistaken (cf. liar 1 a); you're telling me, there is no need to tell me; I know that only too well; to tell (someone) what to do with (something) or where to put (something), expressing emphatic rejection with impolite implications; to tell it like it is, to relate the facts of a matter realistically or honestly, holding nothing back colloq. (orig. U.S. Blacks'). Also tell that to the marines: see marine n. 4 c; to tell (someone) where he gets (or to get) off: see get v. 70 j.
1604Shakes. Oth. i. i. 1 Neuer tell me, I take it much vnkindly.
1842J. S. Buckingham Eastern & Western States Amer. I. 177 When a person..has concluded his narrative, the hearer will reply, ‘Oh! do tell.’ 1860Bartlett Dict. Amer. s.v. Do, The dairy-maid after hearing the story through, exclaimed, Do tell! 1883C. F. Wilder Sister Ridnour's Sacrifice 138 ‘Come fur?’ ‘About eighty miles.’..‘Du tell!’ 1979C. MacLeod Luck runs Out (1981) i. 17 Do tell. Did she leave any children?
1764Foote Patron iii. Wks. 1799 I. 356 Not to be spoke with! Don't tell me, Sir; he must, he shall. 1848J. H. Newman Loss & Gain iii. ix. (1904) 323 Error of judgment! don't tell me. I know how these things happen quite well. 1861Geo. Eliot Silas M. i. ix. 143 Not come to live in this house? Don't tell me. 1944M. Laski Love on Supertax iv. 52 Who's your latest pick-up?..Not Sir Hubert Porkington! Don't tell me you've actually hooked him! 1952H. Garner Yellow Sweater 15 ‘Don't tell me you're in trouble [sc. pregnant]?’ he asked. 1973Farm & Country 10 Apr. 11/4 ‘Don't tell me we've got to go through that again,’ said one executive member in an audible groan.
1596Shakes. 2 Hen. IV, i. i. 51 My Lord: Ile tell you what, If my yong Lord your Sonne, haue not the day [etc.]. 1877Tennyson Harold i. ii, I'll tell thee what, my child; Thou hast misread this merry dream of thine. 1897V. Hunt Unkist, Unkind ii, I tell you what, Janet, we must have a man down who doesn't shoot—to amuse us!
1519W. Horman Vulg. 61, I shall tell hym his owne, in a lytell byll of myne owne hande. 1865R. Hunt Pop. Rom. W. Eng. Ser. ii. 182 Every one is humorously ‘told their own’, without offence being taken.
1781Cowper Table Talk in Poems (1782) I. 38 And tell the world..That he, who died below and reigns above, Inspires the song, and that his name is love. a1871T. Carlyle in Coll. Lett. T. & J. W. Carlyle (1981) IX. 318 This I cd tell the world, you have not had, for 100 years, any Book that came more direct and flamingly sincere from the heart of a living man. 1923[see Jeeze int.]. 1933Punch 11 Jan. 29/3 Say, can he act orr can he act? Ah'll tell de woirrld. 1956‘C. Blackstock’ Dewey Death viii. 169 She persistently told the world about her fiancé, her marriage problems, her piano playing.
1925S. O'Casey Shadow of Gunman ii, in Two Plays 172 Adolphus..after takin' his tea at six o'clock—no, I'm tellin' a lie—it was before six, for I remember the Angelus was ringin' out. 1956‘A. Burgess’ Time for Tiger i. 7 Those Japanese tattooists... I seen one fellow in Jerusalem, wait, I'm telling a lie, it was in Alex,..one fellow with a complete foxhunt on his back. 1968L. Deighton Only when I Larf vii. 89 Six Centurion Mark Fives on that hillock... No tell a lie, one of them is a Mark Two. 1973J. Mann Only Security xii. 172 Oh, it must have been fifteen years or so—..No, I tell a lie, I'm afraid,..can't have been more than five or six years that she was like that, poor lady.
1932G. Kahn (song-title) You're telling me. 1938M. Allingham Fashion in Shrouds xix. 338 ‘Things are bad enough as they are.’ ‘You're telling me.’ 1954Times 16 July 9/4 When he declares that ‘overnutrition has its dangers’..the layman is inclined to reply ‘You're telling me.’ 1977‘C. Aird’ Parting Breath xvii. 194 ‘Forensic pathologists don't take chances.’ ‘You're telling me,’ said Crosby with audible scorn.
1946M. Shulman Zebra Derby (1947) xxi. 133 Green, an upholsterer, said that he was through with upholstering and had told his old boss what to do with his old job. 1958M. Dickens Man Overboard xii. 176 He had been going to tell Glenn what he could do with his job. 1968M. Bragg Without City Wall ii. xxi. 207 You could tell the people at the hall what to do with that job of theirs. She'd had enough of being a servant. 1977Listener 14 Apr. 483/2 Protestations that if the government did any such thing, the BBC would probably tell it where to stuff such an instruction.
1964Down Beat 19 Nov. 8/2 (heading) Mann tells it like it is. 1965New Statesman 1 Oct. 473/1 Although sometimes tardy, all his speeches make their intended points; as they say in Harlem, he tells it like it is. 1969L. Lokos House Divided i. 58 The crowd responded fervently with ‘Amen, amen,’ and ‘Tell it like it is.’ 1973Field & Stream Jan. 8/3 Keep this tell-it-like-it-is kind of article going. 1979Guardian 14 Apr. 8/6 ‘Tell it like it is,’ said Hemingway, but that was..before we all became ethnic-conscious.
II. To mention numerically, to count, reckon.
21. a. trans. To mention or name (the single members of a series or group) one by one, specifying them as one, two, three, etc.; hence, to ascertain from the number of the last how many there are in the whole series; to enumerate, reckon in; to reckon up, count, number. Also absol. Now arch. or dial.
c1000ælfric (Heptat.) Gen. xv. 5 Telle þas steorran. ― Num. iii. 15, 16 Telle ælcne wepnedman..Moises þa tealde. c1175Lamb. Hom. 87 Fram þan halie hester dei boð italde fifti daȝa to þisse deie. c1200Ormin 4550, & whase wile tellenn hemm Bi tale he findeþþ ehhte. c1205Lay. 24377 To tellen þat folc of Kairliun Ne mihte hit na mon idon. a1300Cursor M. 13302 (Cott.) Tuelue þai war to tell in tale. 1398Trevisa Barth. De P.R. viii. xxi. (Bodl. MS.), He knowithe how many þei bene þat nombreþ and telleþ þe sterres. 1483Caxton Gold. Leg. 143/2 He tolde atte table syttyng xiii poure pylgryms. 1523Fitzherb. Husb. §30 Let hym goo to the ende of his lande, and begynne and tell .ix. sheues, and let hym caste out the .x. shefe in the name of god. 1535Coverdale 1 Sam. xiv. 17 Tell and se which of vs is gone awaye. And whan they nombred, beholde, Ionathas & his wapen bearer was not there. 1613W. Browne Sheph. Pipe v. i, Morne had got the start of night..When the shepheards from the fold All their bleating charges told. 1657J. Watts Vind. Ch. Eng. 43 Every countreyman can tell his Geese, and reckon right. 1719De Foe Crusoe (1850) 236 He could not tell twenty in English, but he numbered them, by laying so many stones in a row, and pointing to me to tell them over. 1748J. Mason Elocut. 24 A Comma stops the Voice while we may privately tell one, a Semi-colon two; a Colon three: and a Period four. 1821Clare Vill. Minstr. II. 31 The shepherd had told all his sheep. 1869[see telling vbl. n. 3].
b. spec. To count (voters or votes). Also absol. to tell noses, to count heads: see nose n. 6 d.
1511in W. H. Turner Select. Rec. Oxford (1880) 4 Foster desyred off the mayre..to tell the fremen..for thalecc'on off a alderman;..they were men truly told. 1657,a1734[see nose n. 6 d]. 1669Marvell Corr. Wks. (Grosart) II. 289 The tellers for the ayes chanced to be very ill reckoners, so that they were forced to tell severall times over. 1731Swift To Gay 60 Nor think yourself secure in doing wrong By telling noses with a party strong. 1870Daily News 7 May 2/1 After the division Mr. Dodson brought to the knowledge of the Committee the circumstance that he had appointed Sir H. B. a teller, but that that hon. baronet had refused to tell. 1899Jrnls. Ho. Comm. 18 May, The House was told by Mr. Speaker, and, 24 members only being present, Mr. Speaker retired from the Chair until four of the clock, when the House was again told.
c. Phrases. (a) to tell one's beads (rosary): see bead n. 2 b; so to tell one's prayers. † Also allusively to tell tears, to weep (quot. 1588).
1588T. L. To Ch. Rome (1651) 18 Thow..canst not goe downe and sit, and tell tears with him. 1641,1759[see bead n. 2 b]. 1789Mrs. Piozzi Journ. France I. 265, I..see nothing..but people telling their beads. 1819Scott Ivanhoe xl, Richard..beheld the jovial Friar on his knees, telling his rosary. 1852Rock Ch. of Fathers III. ix. 326 That noble Anglo-Saxon lady Godiva told her prayers on gems threaded together for that purpose. 1857Emerson Hermione i, On a mound an Arab lay,..And told his amulets. 1871L. Stephen Playgr. Eur. x. (1894) 250 The women..kneel reverently..whilst they diligently tell their beads.
† (b) to tell the clock, to count the hours as shown by a clock; hence, to pass one's time idly; cf. tell-clock in tell-. Obs.
1678Butler Hud. iii. iii. 577 An old dull Sot, who'd told the Clock For many years at Bridewel-dock. 1738tr. Guazzo's Art Conversation 14 They are fit for nothing, unless it be to tell the Clock [ed. 1586 count the clock], which they always think goes too slowly.
(c) to tell (so many) years: to have lived (so many) years; to be aged (so much). Cf. number v. 6. Obs. or arch.
1810S. Green Reformist I. 103 The little girl had not quite told five years. 1818Lamb Elia Ser. ii. Wedding, [She at] nineteen was [married] by her..cousin..who told some few years older. 1835Lytton Rienzi i. iv, Thou hadst told but thy tenth year.
(d) all told: when all are counted; in all.
1850Scoresby Cheever's Whalem. Adv. ii. (1858) 24 They are four hundred all told. 1858J. S. Mansfield in Merc. Marine Mag. V. 19 The hands numbered 19 all told. 1885Ld. Wolseley in Times 22 Jan. 5/4 Stewart's force was about 1,500 all told.
22. a. To count out (pieces of money) in payment; hence, to pay (money); now chiefly to tell down, tell out, tell into one's hand, etc. arch. or dial.
c1250Gen. & Ex. 1993 So michel fe ðor is hem told, He hauen him [Joseph] boȝt, he hauen sold. a1300Cursor M. 4835 We..haue..Al redi penijs for to tell If we moght find her oght to .sel. c1375Sc. Leg. Saints xii. (Mathias) 270 He [h]is master to þame sald, For thretty pennys to hym talde. 1515Scot. Field 40 They paid him tribute trulie: many told thousands, that the[y] might liue in their land. 1565–73Cooper Thesaurus s.v. Dinumero, Dinumerare pecuniam, pro Dissoluere, sæpissime accipitur, to pay or tell out money. 1621T. Williamson tr. Goulart's Wise Vieillard 84 His promise should passe for ready pay, and for money told on the nayle. 1645Rutherford Tryal & Tri. Faith (1845) 34 Should any buy a field of land, and refuse to tell down the money. 1723De Foe Col. Jack (1840) 37 He told the money into my hand. 1739Joe Miller's Jests No. 200 The money'd Man fell to telling out the Sum in Shillings. 1819Scott Ivanhoe xxxiii, Tell down with all speed an hundred crowns. 1893W. Raymond Gentl. Upcott ii, Biddlecombe drew a bag from his pocket and told the money out in gold.
fig.1637Shirley Gamester iv. ii, Let her tell down Her virgin tears on Delamore's cold marble.
b. To reckon up or calculate the total amount or value of (money or other things); to count. Also to tell out, tell over. arch.
c1000Ags. Gosp. Luke xiv. 28 Hu ne sytt he ærest & teleð [Lindisf. G. ᵹetelles] þa andfengas þe him behefe synt. 1340–70Alex. & Dind. 323 We mowe tellen our time whan þe time fallus. c1380Wyclif Wks. (1880) 46 Þei wolen tell gold and money. 1475Bk. Noblesse (Roxb.) 85 Forto numbre and telle the quantite and porcion of everie manis part that they broughte. 1526Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 160 b, Yf I sholde tell money or carue, wryte, or sowe ony subtyll worke, whiche requireth synglar or specyall study. 1594Greene & Lodge Looking Gl. Wks. (Rtldg.) 121/2 Come, sir, will you dispatch, and tell your money? 1653Marvell Corr. Wks. (Grosart) II. 4 Those who weigh and tell over money. 1723De Foe Col. Jack (1840) 78 What his cargo amounted to I knew not, for I never told it. 1827–35Willis Wife's Appeal 99 As a miser tells his gold.
c. intr. with refl. or passive sense: To be counted; also to tell for, tell (up) to: to count as, count for, amount to. Now rare.
1362Langl. P. Pl. A. v. 128 Putte hem in a pressour and pinnede hem þer-Inne Til ten ȝerdes oþer twelue tolden out þrettene. 1774Burke Corr. (1844) I. 488 Lord Verney..has told in parliament, including himself, for four members. c1794Susanna Blamire Poems, Meeting ii, Our butter tells to fourteen pun'. 1825E. Hewlett Cottage Comforts vi. 45 Put it in the savings' bank, and it will tell up to something.
d. to be telling: to be worth or as good as (so much) to; to be to the advantage or credit of (a person). Sc. and north. dial.
1629Orkney Witch Trial in County Folk-lore (1903) III. 79 Haid [she] lettin yow abid with your brother it haid bene telling hir xl.{pstlg}. 1822Corspatrick of Raymondsholm II. 8 (Jam.) It wad hae been telling some that are now safe frae skaith gin it had never been blither. 1875P. Ponder Kirkcumdoon 85 (E.D.D.) It wud be tellin' the pairish an' himsel' gin Josey gaed less aboot the Wallace Arms. 1889H. Johnston Chron. Glenbuckie vii. 80 It would have been telling me a ten-pound note [if I had taken your advice]. Mod. Sc. It would be telling some people if they took a leaf out of his book.
23. With adverbs:
a. tell out: to separate or exclude by counting; to count out. arch. or dial.
1535Coverdale 2 Chron. ii. 2 Salomon..tolde out thre score and ten thousande men to beare burthens. 1812Sporting Mag. XXXIX. 138 Burn..had been long told out of the London list as a cur.
b. tell off: to count off from the whole number or company; to separate, detach, esp. so many men for a particular duty; hence gen. to appoint to a particular task, object, position, or the like.
1804J. Whitehouse in Lewis & Clark Orig. Jrnls. Lewis & Clark Exped. (1905) VII. i. 70 The Captn. formd. his men On the S.W. Side of the river Missourie and told them off in Sections, from the right. 1827Scott Jrnl. 29 Jan., How could the castes be distinguished or told off in a populous nation? 1837Marryat Dog-Fiend l, The troops were told-off into the boats. 1858Froude Hist. Eng. III. xiii. 173 Ten knights were then told off, and ten followers for every knight, to ride down to Doncaster. 1890Guardian 23 July 1159/3 A constable had been told off to watch the defendant. 1893W. Forbes-Mitchell Remin. Gt. Mutiny 84 The sentries were posted on the ramparts and regular reliefs told off.
c. tell off (intr. for refl.). Mil. Of a rank or troop of men: To number themselves in succession.
1833Regul. Instr. Cavalry i. 86 The men are to be instructed to tell off by files and by threes.
d. fig. to tell (someone) off, to scold or reprimand (someone). Cf. tick off s.v. tick v.1 3.
1919Cassell's New Eng. Dict. s.v. Tell, to tell off, (colloq.) to scold. 1927A. Christie Big Four xiv. 202 They don't like you to notice things—especially if it should seem you were telling them off about it. 1938G. Arthur Not Worth Reading xiv. 216 ‘It required a very great man,’ said F. E. when he emerged from his interview, ‘to resist the temptation to tell me off.’ 1941G. Homes Forty Whacks ix. 90 The man had just been told off, and told off plenty. 1974M. Birmingham You can help Me iv. 97 She's..telling off the police good and proper... She blames them for all the dirt.
III. To account, or estimate, qualitatively.
†24.
a. To account, consider, reckon, estimate, esteem as being (something). With compl. or for. Obs.
c897K. ælfred Gregory's Past. C. iii. 35 He fleah ðæt rice, & tealde hine selfne his suiðe unwierðne. c1000Ags. Gosp. Matt. xi. 16 Hwam telle ic þas cneorysse ᵹelice? c1230Hali Meid. 43 Sone so þu telles te betere þen an oðer. c1330R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 2789 Ȝyf men dide hem any wo, Hit was teld for felonye. Ibid. 10555 He [a knight] was told of non honour Bot he had ben wyþ kyng Arthour. c1374Chaucer Troylus iii. 765 (814) Wordly selynesse Which clerkes tellyn fals felicite. 1411Rolls of Parlt. III. 651/1 They schall tellen hem well payed with favour and grace. c1425Eng. Conq. Irel. 1 Leynyster, that is I-told þe fifte parte of Irland. c1430Syr Gener. (Roxb.) 4132 Doo way, quod the king.., I tel hir myne.
†b. to tell scorn: to count it scorn, to scorn (to do something). Obs.
1477Paston Lett. III. 185 The fawcon Which is alofte, tellith scorne to loke a down.
†25. intr., or trans. with cognate obj. (to tell tale): To make account of; to have a specified estimate or opinion of; to think (much or little) of; to set (much or little) store by (to). to tell (more, etc.) price: see price n. 8. Obs.
c1175Lamb. Hom. 147 An oðer is þet he telle swa lutel tale þerof. a1225Leg. Kath. 89 To..beon icleopet lefdi, Þet feole telleð wel to. a1250Owl & Night. 793 Telstu bi me þe wrs for þan Þat ic bute enne craft ne kan? c1380Wyclif Wks. (1880) 468 Whanne þey tellen more bi a cronycle of foly..þan þey tellen bi cristis lawe. c1400Rom. Rose 5053 For litel sholde a man telle Of hir, that wolle hir body selle. c1400Laud Troy Bk. 2178 Thei tolde right nauȝt of thyn awe. c1450Lovelich Grail xlv. 38 This peple, he seide ful Schortly, Nis non thing Forto tellen by. c1475Partenay 3029 Thys Geaunt noght told of hym in no degre.
26. a. intr. To count (for something); to be of account or weight; to have its effect, be effective, act or operate with effect; to make an impression.
Perh. orig. a pugilistic expression.
1783Public Advertiser 7 Oct. 2/2 Yet strange to tell it, this Distinction, which as the Players call it, tells most forcibly, Garrick overlooked. 1797Monthly Mag. III. 546 Every blow that they receive upon their projecting surface, tells. 1811Lamb Genius & Char. Hogarth Wks. (1895) 277 Everything in the print, to use a vulgar expression, tells. 1812Sporting Mag. XXXIX. 102 Several blows of consequence told. 1833L. Ritchie Wand. by Loire 24 These peculiarities make the place tell well in an outside view. 1865Kingsley Herew. iii, Martin Lightfoot saw that his appeal to the antipathies of race had told. 1887Sir R. H. Roberts In the Shires ii. 32 Going..at a pace..that began to tell upon the horses.
b. To have weight or influence in favour of or against.
1799Dundas in Owen Wellesley's Desp. (1877) 637 It is a transaction which tells in our favour. 1870Freeman Norm. Conq. I. App. 648 It tells somewhat against his interpretation.
▸ colloq.tell me about it: (as an ironic rejoinder, esp. expressing rueful agreement or understanding) ‘I'm well aware of that’, ‘I agree’; ‘you don't have to tell me’.
1987H. Turtledove Misplaced Legion iii. 51 ‘We could all have been in a lot of trouble there.’ ‘Tell me about it,’ the tribune said feelingly. 1990J. Francome Stone Cold 117 ‘Personally, I'd be happier watching television back in the hotel.’ ‘Hey, tell me about it. Can I give you a lift back there?’ 1994Q. Tarantino & R. Avary Pulp Fiction ii. 42 Lance. Oh man, that's fucked up. Vincent. Tell me about it. I had the goddamn thing in storage three years. It's out five fuckin' days—five days, and some dickless piece of shit fucks with it. 1998N.Y. Times Mag. 7 June 76/3 ‘This is a bad situation’... ‘Tell me about it... I can't remember the last time I slept.’
▪ IV. tell, telle
obs. ff. till v., prep., and conj. |