# tell tales out of school

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/tell-tales-out-of-school
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To reveal confidential or sensitive information; to gossip.

## Examples

- Please do not tell tales out of school about our private meeting.
- He promised to keep the news secret, but he could not resist telling tales out of school to his coworkers.
- She was careful never to tell tales out of school, knowing that sharing internal company secrets would surely lead to her immediate dismissal.

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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.