tattle

English

Etymology

Likely akin to Middle Dutch, Middle Low German, East Frisian tateren - “to chatter, babble”, possibly of imitative origin. Attested in 1481 in William Caxton's translation of “The History of Reynard the Fox” in the sense “to stutter”, probably borrowed from Middle Dutch.

Verb

tattle (third-person singular simple present tattles, present participle tattling, simple past and past participle tattled)

1. (intransitive, pejorative) To report others' wrongdoings or violations; to tell on somebody; to gossip or to disclose incriminating information (usually said of children).
2. (intransitive) To chatter.
   • 1599, William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing, Act 2 Scene 1

     BEATRICE. He were an excellent man that were made just in the mid-way between him and Benedick: the one is too like an image, and says nothing; and the other too like my lady's eldest son, evermore tattling.

   • Dryden

     the tattling quality of age, which is always narrative

Synonyms

• blow the whistle, rat on, sing, snitch, squeal
• gossip; see also WS:chatter

Translations

to report others' wrongdoings or violations

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 打小报告 (zh) (dǎ xiǎo bàogào)

• Dutch: roddelen (nl), klikken (nl)
• Finnish: juoruta (fi)
• French: cafarder (fr), cafter (fr), moucharder (fr)

• German: petzen (de)
• Japanese: 告げ口 (ja) (tsugeguchi)
• Russian: я́бедничать (ru) (jábedničatʹ)
• Spanish: delatar (es)

to chatter

• Dutch: kletsen (nl), babbelen (nl)
• Finnish: juoruilla (fi), rupatella

• German: klatschen (de), tratschen (de)
• Russian: болта́ть (ru) n (boltátʹ)

Noun

tattle (uncountable)

1. A tattletale.
2. Gossip; idle talk.

Related terms

• tattletale

Translations

tattletale — see tattletale

gossip; idle talk

• Finnish: rupattelu (fi), juoruilu (fi), juttelu (fi)

• German: Klatsch (de) m, Tratsch (de) m