dead giveaway

a dead giveaway

A clue, detail, action, etc. that obviously reveals something else. Your shoes are totally sticking out of the blankets! That's a dead giveaway that you're planning on sneaking out as soon as mom says good night to us. The homemade card was a dead giveaway that they had forgotten to buy us a gift.
See also: dead, giveaway
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

dead giveaway

something that reveals a fact or an intention completely. The car in the driveway was a dead giveaway that someone was at home.
See also: dead, giveaway
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • giveaway
  • a dead giveaway
  • make some sense (out) of (something)
  • make any sense (out) of (something)
  • act of faith
  • an act of faith
  • stick to
  • stick to (something)
  • make sense (out) of (something)
  • make sense of something
References in periodicals archive
CARNIVOR ZINFANDEL 2017, CALIFORNIA, USA (PS10, TESCO) The name's a dead giveaway and if you've never sinned with zin, this is the red to lock you in.
Drinks; FIND THE PERFECT ACCOMPANIMENT FOR YOUR SUMMER BBQ
The camera system at the back is also described as "likely a dead giveaway" that it is fake.
iPhone 11: Video Shows 'Actual' Phone From Apple?
Perfect with a simple | Carnivor Zinfandel 2017, California, USA (PS10, Tesco) THE name's a dead giveaway and if you've never sinned with zin, this is the red to lock you in.
on the grapevine; SAM WYLIE-HARRIS ON... BIG, BEAUTIFUL NEW WORLD REDS TO MATCH MEATY DISHES
Perfect with a simple |California, USA (PS10, Tesco) THE name's a dead giveaway and if you've never sinned with zin, this is the red to lock you in.
on the grapevine; SAM WYLIE-HARRIS ON... BIG, BEAUTIFUL NEW WORLD REDS TO MATCH MEATY DISHES
The addition of "HH" at the end of most sentences is another dead giveaway.
Scottish football glossary Celtic Da
THANKS TO SEAN HOWARD for highlighting the WWI Canadian battle for Mons, (April Issue #3, "Dead Giveaway, The Dark Side of the Mons Centenary"), but I must take exception with the tone of his 3-page article dubiously entitled "Dead Giveaway" in your April 2019 edition.
COMMEMORATION IS NOT GLORIFICATION
For years, archaeologists wondered what these containers held, even though the poppy-seed head was a dead giveaway.
Going for a few jars in BC Cyprus
Alejano meanwhile said the June inflation, which pushed the year-to-date figure to 4.3 percent, was "a dead giveaway" Duterte's economic managers were "losing control" over the country's economic fundamentals because of the TRAIN law.
3 opposition solons urge gov't: Stop denying TRAIN's impact on inflation
While the photo is a dead giveaway for the diehard fans of the movie, Prats stated that her birthday celebration on the talk show 'Mars', which will air on Monday, June 25, will include guests that have 'something to do with the movie.'
LOOK: Camille Prats teases 'Sarah... Ang Munting Prinsesa' version 2.0
The trick is to stick to neutral colours and size up, sparing use of fabric is a dead giveaway of a cheap copy.
joanne watkinson FROM RUNWAY TO REAL LIFE
Firm back soil around newly planted trees and shrubs if they have been lifted by winds - loose soil around the trunk is a dead giveaway.
How to... Protect a garden from strong winds; Gardening
However, the Tupperware can be a dead giveaway that he may still live at home with mom.
Lunchroom clues in the search for a man
You would have thought the positioning of the 'O' in his surname would have been the dead giveaway (he obviously should have played for Italy).
Grealish decision reveals Solihull is in England
SEEING the name Sebastian Soderberg heading Top Scandinavian betting is a dead giveaway that all the best Swedes and Danes are staying put after their home game in Malmo last week.
Karlberg can seize chance