dead giveaways
Unmistakable revealing signs
Dead giveaways are signs that unmistakably reveal something, especially something meant to be hidden.
The phrase emphasizes certainty—not just a hint but conclusive evidence: The lipstick on his collar was a dead giveaway.
The dead intensifies giveaway the way it does in dead center or dead wrong, meaning absolute or exact.
- tellsConveys information verbally
- nervous laughterGiggles from discomfort
- smoking gunIrrefutable proof of wrongdoing
- caught red-handedApprehended during wrongdoing
- indicationSign of what's coming
red flags · reveal · clues · leaks · overexplaining · betrayals · tip-offs · indiscretions · manifestations · Freudian slips · fingerprints · bloodstains · footprints · babblings · sweating · fidgeting · slip-ups · surveillance footage
dead giveawayssubtle hints
Understated suggestions or cues
cryptic clues · coded messages · subliminal cues · whispers · innuendo
dead giveawaysred herrings
Misleading clues or information
circumstantial evidence · coincidences · wild guesses · speculation
dead giveawayssubtle hints
Understated suggestions or cues
circumstantial evidence · red herrings · mixed signals · plausible deniability
dead, giveaway, deaden, deadened, deadly, deadness, give, gives, given