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old wives' tale
A now-debunked story or idea that was once believed, often superstitiously. How can you believe in that old wives' tale? Oh, that's just an old wives' tale! A broken mirror does not guarantee seven years' bad luck.
Dead men tell no tales.
Prov. Dead people will not betray any secrets. The club members liked to hold their secret meetings in a graveyard, since dead men tell no tales. Gangster: Mugsy is going to tell the police that we robbed the bank. How can we stop him? Henchman: Dead men tell no tales.
Never tell tales out of school.
Prov. Do not tell secrets; do not gossip. Fred: I just learned something really scandalous about the president of our company. Ellen: Well, I don't want to hear it. You shouldn't tell tales out of school.
old wives' tale
Fig. a myth or superstition. You really don't believe that stuff about starving a cold do you? It's just an old wives' tale.
tell tales out of school
to tell secrets or spread rumors. I wish that John would keep quiet. He's telling tales out of school again. If you tell tales out of school a lot, people won't know when to believe you.
Dead men tell no tales.
something that you say which means people who are dead cannot tell secrets I suspect they killed him because he knew too much. Dead men tell no tales.
tell tales
to tell someone in authority about something bad that someone has done because you want to cause trouble for them (often + about ) She wasn't very popular at school - she was the sort of kid who was always telling tales about other kids. I had half a mind to tell my boss about him but I didn't want her to think I was telling tales.
See can't tell arse from elbow, live to tell the taleold wives' tale
A superstition, as in Toads cause warts? That's an old wives' tale. This expression was already known in ancient Greece, and a version in English was recorded in 1387. Despite invoking bigoted stereotypes of women and old people, it survives.
tell tales
Divulge secrets, as in Don't trust him; he's apt to tell tales. This expression was first recorded about 1350. A variant, tell tales out of school, first recorded in 1530, presumably alluded to schoolchildren gossiping but was soon broadened to revealing secret or private information. Both may be obsolescent.