tell time

tell time

1. Of a person, to be able to understand the time of day by looking at an analog clock or watch. Now that many young children carry phones around with them, it's becoming harder and harder to teach them how to tell time.
2. Of a clock or watch, to keep track of the current time of day. My grandfather's old pocket watch doesn't tell time anymore, but I really like the look of having it on me.
See also: tell, time
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

tell time

 
1. Lit. to keep or report the correct time. This clock doesn't tell time very accurately. My watch stopped telling time, so I had to have it repaired.
2. Fig. to be able to read time from a clock or watch. Billy is only four. He can't tell time yet. They are teaching the children to tell time at school.
See also: tell, time
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

tell time

Keep track of the hours; also, know how to read a clock or watch. For example, This old clock still tells time quite accurately, or He taught his niece to tell time by using a cuckoo clock. This expression uses tell in the sense of "reckon" or "calculate," a usage dating from about a.d. 1000.
See also: tell, time
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

tell time

To determine the time of day indicated by the positions of the hands on a clock.
See also: tell, time
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.
See also:
  • give (someone) the time of day, not to/won't
  • keep good time
  • set the/(one's) clock(s) forward
  • punch a/the clock
  • punch the clock
  • put the/(one's) clock(s) forward
  • move the/(one's) clock(s) forward
  • turn back the clock
  • turn the clock back, to
  • turn the/(one's) clock(s) forward
References in periodicals archive
This revolutionary idea of being able to tell time without traditional 'hands' was the central goal that eventually culminated in the efforts of Geneva-based Urwerk (eur-verk), which now celebrates its 15th year anniversary.
When horology meets complex engineering
Whether the moon, the sun, or hands on a watch--if something moves at a constant rate, humans have learned to tell time by it.
The clock is designed to tell time for the next 100 centuries.
Taking TIME
Water was also put to work to tell time. The simplest water clock was a bowl with a very tiny hole in the bottom.
In man's search for a better way to tell time, sand was also used.
A Matter of Time
French astronomer Camille Flammarion originally planned for the markings on the pavement of the Place de la Concorde in 1913 to allow passersby to tell time according to shadows from the 108-foot Obelisk.
Here comes the sundial
Can you tell time? Click on the digital clock in the Living Room.
Big thinkers! Kindergarten
Being able to tell time has made it easier for people everywhere to live and work together.
Time
Water clocks could tell time well enough to govern the length of time a person might talk in court or before an assembly, but they were nevertheless crude timepieces at best.
Water clock
In this book, Jules Older gives readers and listeners a plethora o[ information on how and why we tell time. The author uses the daily events that occur in children's lives while defining the concept of time to enable young students to easily understand this difficult concept.
Telling Time
Thousands of years ago people could tell time by looking up at the, stars.
A matter of time
The resulting mechanical clocks did not tell time more accurately than water clocks did, but they were more convenient and required less care.
Mechanical clocks
How can primary teachers help children tell time and use the "language of time" with understanding?
The Language of Time
Clockwise is a charming and entertaining activity book to help young children learn to tell time. The activities are based on a beguiling fairy tale in which the student must help the main characters get out of hazardous situations by solving time-related puzzles.
Clockwise: A Time Activity Book, K-3
Using color photographs silhouetted against a white background, the author discusses the passage of time as well as how to tell time. Students are asked to think of personal events that relate to day and night; morning, afternoon, and evening; days of the week; and months and seasons of the year.
My First Book of Time