taletelling
Spinning a yarn
Taletelling is the act of narrating stories, or the practice of informing on others—tattling.
The first sense is neutral or positive: an evening of taletelling around the campfire.
The second carries childish or petty connotations: His taletelling got his sister in trouble.
Unverified traditional tale
- mythTraditional explanatory tale
- sagaExtended heroic narrative
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
- epicImpressively grand in scope
oral-history · ballad · tradition · heritage · ancestry · mythology · chronicle · proverbs
Storyline or land parcel
- charactersPersons in a narrative
- narratorOne who tells events
- protagonistStory's central figure
- antagonistOne who opposes another
climax · denouement · arc · twist · setting · theme · fiction · prose
Unconfirmed circulating story
- scandalDisgraceful public affair
- hearsayUnverified secondhand information
- tittle-tattleTrivial, idle chatter
- backbitingSpiteful talk about others
innuendo · blabbermouth · whispers · secrets · confidences · muckraking · dirt · leak
Concerning right conduct
- parableInstructive allegorical narrative
- allegorySymbolic tale with deeper meaning
- lessonUnit of teaching
- cautionaryServing as warning
didactic · apologue · teaching · edifying · instructive · proverbial · symbolic · archetype
legend
Unverified traditional tale
epic · oral-history · ballad · tradition · heritage · ancestry · mythology · chronicle · proverbs · fireside
plot
Storyline or land parcel
- charactersPersons in a narrative
- narratorOne who tells events
- protagonistStory's central figure
antagonist · climax · denouement · arc · twist · setting · theme · fiction · prose · dialogue
rumor
Unconfirmed circulating story
- scandalDisgraceful public affair
- hearsayUnverified secondhand information
- tittle-tattleTrivial, idle chatter
backbiting · innuendo · blabbermouth · whispers · secrets · confidences · muckraking · dirt · leak · chatter
moral
Concerning right conduct
- parableInstructive allegorical narrative
- allegorySymbolic tale with deeper meaning
- lessonUnit of teaching
cautionary · didactic · apologue · teaching · edifying · instructive · proverbial · symbolic · archetype · timeless
theater
Venue for live drama
- performanceCarrying out a task
- stageRaised performance platform
- monologueUninterrupted solo address
actor · actress · playwright · script · audience · dialogue · soliloquy · rehearsal · recital · dramaturgy
taletellingsilent reading
Absorbing text without vocalizing
listening · reading · written communication · text · passive listening
taletellingsecrecy
Practice of hiding information
concealment · silence · discretion · confidentiality · keeping mum
taletellingdiscretion
Careful judgment in speech
keeping secrets · loyalty · trustworthiness · confidentiality · covering up
tell, tale, telling, teller, storyteller, telltale, storytelling, taleteller, taletellers