telling
tell|ing /t'elɪŋ/ (tellings)
1 [N-VAR]
The telling of a story or of something that has happened is the reporting of it to other people.
Herbert sat quietly through the telling of this saga...
2 [ADJ]
If something is telling, it shows the true nature of a person or situation.
How a man shaves may be a telling clue to his age.
= revealing
● tellingly [ADV] ADV with cl, ADV with v
Most tellingly, perhaps, chimpanzees do not draw as much information from the world around them as we do.
3 [ADJ] usu ADJ n
A telling argument or criticism is a very effective one.
The most telling condemnation of the system was that it failed to fulfil its function.
4 [PHRASE] usu PHR wh
You use there's no telling to introduce a statement when you want to say that it is impossible to know what will happen in a situation.
There's no telling how long the talks could drag on...
1 [N-VAR]
The telling of a story or of something that has happened is the reporting of it to other people.
Herbert sat quietly through the telling of this saga...
2 [ADJ]
If something is telling, it shows the true nature of a person or situation.
How a man shaves may be a telling clue to his age.
= revealing
● tellingly [ADV] ADV with cl, ADV with v
Most tellingly, perhaps, chimpanzees do not draw as much information from the world around them as we do.
3 [ADJ] usu ADJ n
A telling argument or criticism is a very effective one.
The most telling condemnation of the system was that it failed to fulfil its function.
4 [PHRASE] usu PHR wh
You use there's no telling to introduce a statement when you want to say that it is impossible to know what will happen in a situation.
There's no telling how long the talks could drag on...