tattle
/ˈtætl/ (bre, ipa) · [tˈætəl] /ˈtætl/ (ame, ipa) · [tˈætəl] /ˈta-tᵊl How to pronounce tattle (audio)/ (ame, mw)
tattle — 動詞
- tattlepresent simple I / you / we / they
- tattleshe / she / it
- tattledpast simple
- tattling-ing form
1. to tell a parent, teacher, or other person in charge that someone has done somet
告狀
向大人告發他人的錯誤
to tell a parent, teacher, or other person in charge that someone has done something wrong, hoping that the wrongdoer will be punished.
Andrés tattled on his older brother for sneaking out of the house after midnight.
Andrés 告了哥哥一狀，因為他半夜偷溜出家門。
tattle + on + person
The teacher told the class she did not want anyone tattling during the spelling quiz.
老師告訴全班同學，她不希望有人在拼字小考時打小報告。
Kabir never tattles, even when he sees a friend copying answers from another student's test.
Kabir 從來不打小報告，即使看到朋友抄別人的考卷答案也不說。
Little Iris ran to her mother and tattled that her sister had taken the last cookie from the jar.
小 Iris 跑到媽媽面前告狀，說姊姊拿走了罐子裡最後一塊餅乾。
Inês refused to tattle on her classmates because she did not want anyone to get into trouble.
Inês 拒絕告發同學，因為她不希望任何人惹上麻煩。
- cover up
to hide wrongdoing instead of reporting it
文法句型
tattle + on + person
用法筆記
Most common in children's contexts at home or school. Adult use is usually disapproving — calling someone a 'tattletale' accuses them of making trouble by reporting minor offences. The person reported is introduced by 'on'.
常見錯誤
2. to talk continuously about things that are not important, without a serious purp
閒聊；閒扯
漫無目的地聊不重要的事
to talk continuously about things that are not important, without a serious purpose.
Maeve and her cousin tattled about the price of eggs and whether the postman had put the letter through the right slot.
Maeve 和表姊閒聊雞蛋的價錢，還有郵差有沒有把信投對信箱。
tattle + about + trivial topic
Niran's grandmother would tattle for hours about the weather and what the neighbours were cooking for dinner.
Niran 的奶奶可以一聊好幾個小時，說說天氣、講講鄰居晚餐煮了什麼。
tattle + about + topic
Emma and Greta tattled away over cups of tea, discussing everything from fashion to old films.
Emma 和 Greta 邊喝茶邊閒聊，從時尚聊到老電影，什麼都談。
Eli could hear the guests tattling in the kitchen while he finished setting the table.
Eli 在擺餐桌時，聽見客人們在廚房裡閒聊。
- discuss
to talk about something seriously and in detail
文法句型
tattle + about + topic
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 ('TELL ON'): sense 2 has no element of reporting wrongdoing or involving an authority figure. It simply describes light, casual talk.
常見錯誤
tattle — 名詞
1. speech about everyday trivial matters — such as television shows or shopping — t
閒話；廢話
沒有價值的瑣碎談話
speech about everyday trivial matters — such as television shows or shopping — that has no serious purpose or value.
Joon and his cousin exchanged nothing but meaningless tattle about television shows and shopping lists.
Joon 和表弟聊的盡是些關於電視節目和購物清單的無聊廢話。
adjective + tattle: 'meaningless tattle'
The manager told everyone to stop the office tattle and focus on the project deadline.
主管要大家停止辦公室的閒話，專心趕專案截止日。
Cyrus grew bored with the endless tattle at the dinner table and excused himself early.
Cyrus 對飯桌上沒完沒了的閒話感到厭煩，早早告辭離開了。
A steady stream of tattle came from the radio talk show while the cafe customers read their newspapers in silence.
電台談話節目傳出一連串的閒話，而咖啡店的客人們都靜靜地讀著報紙。
- chatter
more common and neutral; 'tattle' is rarer and slightly dismissive
- prattle
emphasises childish or foolish quality of the talk
- small talk
neutral term for light conversation; implies politeness rather than dismissal
- substance
meaningful, important content
用法筆記
Uncountable — you cannot say 'a tattle' or 'tattles'. Use 'piece of tattle' if a countable form is needed. Closely overlaps with noun sense 2, but sense 1 emphasises trivial subject matter rather than personal content.
常見錯誤
2. talk about other people's personal or private affairs, often including details t
八卦；流言
關於他人私生活的傳言
talk about other people's personal or private affairs, often including details that may be exaggerated or untrue.
The magazine was filled with tattle about famous actors and their messy divorces.
那本雜誌裡全是關於知名演員及其離婚醜聞的八卦。
tattle + about + person
Tunde ignored the mean-spirited tattle spreading through the neighbourhood after the robbery.
Tunde 不理會搶案後在社區蔓延的惡意閒話。
adjective + tattle: 'mean-spirited tattle'
Lakshmi loved to listen to the tattle at the hair salon, even though she knew most of it was untrue.
Lakshmi 很愛聽美容院裡的那些八卦，儘管她知道大部分都不是真的。
Mrs. Fernandez dismissed the tattle about the principal as the jealous talk of a few unhappy teachers.
Fernandez 老師駁斥了關於校長的八卦，說那只是幾個不滿的教師在說嫉妒話。
- fact
information that is known to be true
用法筆記
Distinguish from noun sense 1 ('IDLE TALK'): sense 2 is specifically about other people's personal or private affairs, whereas sense 1 describes trivial conversation on any subject.