Proverbs with the word Tell

Who chatters to you will chatter of you

Whoever tells you tales about other people will tell other people tales about you.

Tell it not in Gath…

Don't spread scandal. Keep the story to yourself. 'Tell it not in Gath, but their marriage ins't turning out too well. There's good reason to... Read more →

A tale never loses in the telling

The facts of a story are usually improved upon in the telling. Lies are condoned by Pooh-Bah in The Mikado as 'merely corroborative detail,... Read more →

One lie makes many

The telling of the one lie forces us to tell more lies, and so we become more and more deeply involved.

Never tell your enemy that your foot aches

Never admit a weakness to a person who is liable to take advantage of it.

A liar is not believed when he tells the truth

He is the mischievous young shepherd who roused the village a number of times by crying 'Wolf!' when there was no wolf. The time arrived when a... Read more →

A good tale is none the worse for being told twice

Children, in particular, love to hear a story again, however many times they heard it before. ‘Mummy, please tell me the story of the girl who... Read more →

Don’t tell tales out of school

Don't give away any damaging secrets. Don't make public anything that should be kept private. The proverb originated among children. To tell... Read more →

Ask no questions and be told no lies

This is often the reply of parents to children who ask too many awkward questions. It means that if you ask many questions about things you... Read more →

Dead men tell no tales

Death silences a man for ever. If he knows something in his lifetime that others do not want made public, he cannot reveal their secret when he... Read more →