tells

1. 1
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present indicative of tell.

   The label tells you how to wash the garment safely.

   Whenever the gauge tells him the pressure is rising, he shuts the valve.

   Note

   This everyday verb form carries every use of tell, from narrating to ordering. It often takes two objects: she tells him the news, or tells the news to him. Its "discern" use works differently, as in nobody tells the twins apart. The same spelling doubles as the plural noun, so in "his poker tells" the word is a noun, not a verb.

2. 2
   noun

   Plural of tell.

   Skilled interrogators watch for behavioral tells that betray deception.

   The dry plain is dotted with ancient tells left by long-vanished settlements.

   Note

   Two unrelated nouns meet in this plural: the poker player's giveaway and the archaeologist's mound. Context sorts them at once. A gambler's tells are nervous habits that leak what he hides, while a plain's tells are hills built up over ruined settlements, especially in the Middle East. Online, players may also send tells, private chat-room whispers, and an archaic tell was simply a tale.

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