telltale sign
- clueSolving aid
- hintIndirect suggestion
- giveawayFree item or betraying clue
- indicatorSign revealing status
- red flagIndicator of danger
symptom · warning · evidence · trace · reveal · suspicious · obvious · unmistakable · dead giveaway · smoking gun · fingerprint · footprint · mark · signal · betrayal · blush · nervous · twitch
evidential clarity
telltale signred herring
Intentional misleading distraction
false lead · mixed signals · coincidence · noise · random occurrence
revelation vs. concealment
telltale signcover-up
Hiding wrongdoing from public
concealment · disguise · camouflage · smoke screen · misdirection