proverb · Words worth keeping
Don’t tell tales out of school.
Don’t tell tales out of school.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Telling tales out of school pictures carrying information beyond the setting where it belongs. The supplied reading warns against disclosing confidential or damaging private matters.
What the words are saying
School provides the inside-outside image rather than proof of a precise historical origin. A useful application considers consent, purpose and who needs to know. Confidentiality should not prevent necessary reporting, accountability or seeking support, and the phrase does not make every uncomfortable disclosure improper.
Everyday example
Someone asks permission before repeating a private confidence while recognising that a serious concern may require appropriate help.
When to use it
Use it to discuss confidentiality with necessary reporting and support retained.
What it does not mean
A privacy claim does not itself justify concealing harm or silencing a valid concern.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 820; PDF page 116
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.