On long voyages, crews kept tell tales in a cedar chest, small objects that would signal treachery or danger.

When politicians tell tales about their opponents, voters deserve the truth.

The detective noticed several tell-tales that proved the alibi was false.

The tell-tale scratches on the table revealed that the cat had been there.

The tell-tale on the sail fluttered, showing the wind's direction to the helmsman.

She tells tales about her neighbors, so people are careful about believing her.

She kept telling tales about her former boss, even though others advised her to stop.

The engineer pointed to a tell tale crack in the bridge's support that required immediate repair.

The rusty tell tale on the boat warned us of the wind direction.

The old sea captain swore by his tell-tale compass, claiming it always pointed toward hidden currents rather than magnetic north.