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 Telling. That's tellings, phr. (common).—Said in reply to a question that one ought not, or that one does not wish, to answer.

Tell-truth, subs. phr. (old colloquial).—A plain speaker; one who does not mince matters.

1650. Fuller, Pisgah Sight, ii. iv. 3. Caleb and Joshua, the only two tell-troths, endeavoured to undeceive and encourage the people.

d. 1667. Taylor, Works (1835), ii. 99. The rudeness of a Macedonian tell-truth is no apparent calamity.

d. 1704. Brown, Works, iii. 20. A great many bold tell-truths are gone before you.

Tempest, subs. (old).—See quot.

1746. Smollett, Advice, Note to line 30. Drum: This is a riotous assembly of fashionable people, of both sexes, at a private house, consisting of some hundreds; not unaptly styled a drum, from the noise and emptiness of the entertainment. There are also drum-major, rout, tempest, and hurricane, differing only in degrees of multitude and uproar.

See Tea cup.

Temple, subs. (Winchester College).—1. See quot.

1881. Pascoe. Ev. Day Life. On the last night of term there is a bonfire in Ball Court, and all the temples or miniature architectural excavations in 'Mead's' wall are lighted up with candle-ends.

Temple of Bacchus, subs. phr. (old).—See quot.

1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Temple of Bacchus. Merry-making after getting a liceat. Oxf. Univ. Cant.

Temple of Venus, subs. phr. (venery).—1. The female pudendum: see Monosyllable; and (2) a brothel.

Temple-pickling, subs. phr. (B. E.).—'The Pumping of Bailives, Bumms, Setters, Pickpockets, etc.'

Tenant at will, subs. phr. (old).—'One whose wife usually fetches him from the ale-house' (Grose).

Tenant for life, subs. phr. (old).—'A married man; i.e., possessed of a woman for life' (Grose).

Tenant-in-tail. See Tail.

Ten Bones (or Commandments), subs. phr. (old).—The ten fingers: spec. of a woman. Also by these ten bones! (once a common oath: in punning reference to the Mosaic Decalogue).

c. 1485. Digby Myst. (1882), 4, note. By thes bonys ten thei be to you vntrue.

c. 1540. Heywood, Four P's. [Dodsley, Old Plays (Reed), i. 92]. Now ten tymes I beseche hym that hye syttes, Thy wives ten commandements may serch thy five wyttes.

1542. Udal, Erasmus, 27. [Socrates is advised to use his tenne commaundementes in a brawl.]

1562. Jacke Juggeler [Dodsley, Old Plays (Hazlitt), ii. 125]. I am a servant of this house, by these ten bones.

c. 1575. Ane Ballat of Matrymonie [Laing, Early Pop. Poet. Scotland, ii. 76]. She pylled the barke even of hys face With her commaundements ten.

1589. Pappe with Hatchet, Ciiij. b. Martin swears by his ten bones.

1593. Shakspeare, 2 Henry VI., i. 3. Could I come near your beauty with my nails, I'd set my ten commandments in your face. Ibid., i. 4. By these ten bones, my lord [holding up his hands], he did speak to me in the garret one night.

1595. Locrine [Shaks., Suppt., ii. 242]. I trembled, fearing she would set her ten commandments in my face.

1597. Lyly, Woman in Moon, v. Now he swears by his ten bones.

1607. Dekker, Westw. Hoe, v. 3. Your harpy that set his ten commandments upon my back.