different between snitch vs tattle

English

Etymology

Origin uncertain. Perhaps an alteration of snatch, or a dialectal variant of sneak, from Middle English sniken, from Old English sn?can (“to creep; crawl”). More at sneak.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sn?t?/
• Rhymes: -?t?

Verb

snitch (third-person singular simple present snitches, present participle snitching, simple past and past participle snitched)

1. (transitive) To inform on, especially in betrayal of others.
2. (slang, transitive) To contact or cooperate with the police for any reason.
3. (dated, transitive) To steal, quickly and quietly.

Synonyms

• (to steal): filch, pilfer, pocket; See also Thesaurus:steal
• (to inform on): drop a dime, grass up, rat out; See also Thesaurus:rat out
• (cooperate with the police):

Translations

Noun

snitch (plural snitches)

1. A thief.
2. An informer, usually one who betrays his group.
3. (Britain) A nose.
   • 1897, W.S. Maugham, Lisa of Lambeth, chapter 1

     'Yah, I wouldn't git a second-'and dress at a pawnbroker's!'

     'Garn!' said Liza indignantly. 'I'll swipe yer over the snitch if yer talk ter me. [...] "
4. A tiny morsel.
   • 1963, Jack Schaefer, Monte Walsh, p 3

     "He pays for the food you eat," said the woman.

     "Yeah," said the boy. "And I earn every snitch doing everything ever gets done around here."

5. A ball used in the sports of Quidditch.

Synonyms

• (thief): filcher, pincher; See also Thesaurus:thief
• (informer): grass, mole, quisling, rat, stool pigeon; See also Thesaurus:informant
• (nose): schnozz, sneck; See also Thesaurus:nose
• (morsel): bite, snap, snippock

Derived terms

• snitches get stitches

• snitches get stitches and wind up in ditches

Translations

Anagrams

• chints

English

Etymology

From Middle Dutch tatelen, tateren (“to babble, chatter”), originally imitative. The word is cognate with Low German tateln, täteln (“to cackle, gabble”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?tæt(?)l/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?tætl?/, /-?l?/
• Hyphenation: tat?tle

Verb

tattle (third-person singular simple present tattles, present participle tattling, simple past and past participle tattled)

1. (intransitive) To chatter; to gossip.
3. (intransitive, Canada, US, derogatory) Often said of children: to report incriminating information about another person, or a person's wrongdoing; to tell on somebody. [from late 15th c.]
4. (intransitive, obsolete) To speak like a baby or young child; to babble, to prattle; to speak haltingly; to stutter.

Synonyms

• (to chatter): see Thesaurus:prattle
• (to report incriminating information or wrongdoing): see Thesaurus:rat out

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

tattle (countable and uncountable, plural tattles)

1. (countable) A tattletale.
2. (countable, Canada, US, derogatory) Often said of children: a piece of incriminating information or an account of wrongdoing that is said about another person.
3. (uncountable) Idle talk; gossip; (countable) an instance of such talk or gossip.

Synonyms

• (tattletale): telltale tit; see Thesaurus:informant or Thesaurus:gossiper
• (idle talk): see Thesaurus:tattle or Thesaurus:chatter

Translations

See also

• snitches get stitches
• twattle

References

Further reading

• gossip on Wikipedia.Wikipedia