# dead giveaway

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/dead-giveaway
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A giveaway that is especially obvious, especially ruinous, or both, disclosing, usually unintentionally, a fact or an intention.

## Examples

- His nervous smile was a dead giveaway.
- She tried to pretend she was not surprised, but her wide eyes were a dead giveaway.
- The subtle tremor in his voice as he recounted the events served as a dead giveaway that he was hiding the truth.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.