kiss-and-tell

[ kis-uhn-tel ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

describing a book, article, interview, etc., in which someone publicly gives details of private interactions, especially sexual relationships:
Many years later, she spilled all the embarrassing details of her ordeal in a bestselling kiss-and-tell memoir.

kiss-and-tell

adjective

denoting the practice of publicizing one's former sexual relationship with a celebrity, esp in the tabloid press
a kiss-and-tell interview

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Word History and Origins

Origin of kiss-and-tell¹

First recorded in 1920–25, for an earlier sense

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Idioms and Phrases

Betray a confidence, as in A real lady doesn't kiss and tell . This idiom originally alluded to betraying an amorous or sexual intimacy. First recorded in 1695, it is still so used, as well as more loosely, as in Don't ask how I voted; I don't kiss and tell .

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Example Sentences

There was never kiss-and-tell during her on-off relationship with Leonardo DiCaprio.

From The Daily Beast

The award-winning Daily Beast columnist on the surprising revelations in the latest guilty pleasure kiss-and-tell.

From The Daily Beast

Award-winning Daily Beast columnist Christopher Buckley on the surprising revelations in the latest guilty pleasure kiss-and-tell.

From The Daily Beast

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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