ENGLISH
REFERENCE

tell its own tale

idiom
Meaning

To speak for itself; to require no explanation.


Examples
SIMPLE

The messy room tells its own tale.

CONTEXTUAL

When we saw the broken window and the open safe, the scene told its own tale.

COMPLEX

The faded photographs and dusty furniture in the abandoned house told their own tale of a family that had long since moved on.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    cautionary tale

    A story, originally told in folklore, to warn its audience of a certain danger.

  2. 02

    don't tell me

    Used to introduce a guess at a fact or situation, as if forestalling the other speaker's utterance.

  3. 03

    I can tell you

    Emphasises the truth of a statement.

  4. 04

    I tell a lie

    I am mistaken; I thought that what I said (or wrote) was true, but I have just realised that it is not.

  5. 05

    I tell you

    Synonym of I can tell you.

  6. 06

    I'll tell you

    Synonym of I can tell you.

  7. 07

    kiss and tell

    To betray a confidence by disclosing private information, especially of a sexual nature.

  8. 08

    let me tell you

    Synonym of I can tell you.

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