Tell Tale Tit

Origin

Tell Tale Tit has been around for centuries, and it was never a gentle bedtime verse. The phrase “tell-tale tit” shows up as far back as the 1600s, used as a jeer for anyone who blabbed. By the 1800s it had settled into a neat four-line rhyme and was printed in James Orchard Halliwell’s collections. A little later, Kate Greenaway slipped it into her Mother Goose (1881), with an illustration of children pointing fingers at a girl who’s clearly in trouble for telling tales.

Meaning

This is pure playground business. Kids used it as a chant to shut down a tattletale. The threat sounds brutal — cutting a tongue and feeding it to the dogs — but that’s the point. It’s exaggerated, a way to make sure the “snitch” feels the sting of being called out.

The rhyme’s short, punchy rhythm made it easy for a group to shout in chorus, which only added to the humiliation. It’s a glimpse of how children policed their own little world: you don’t tell on us, or you’ll pay in laughter and shame.

Cultural Background

Not all nursery rhymes were sweet or silly. Some, like Tell Tale Tit, captured the rough edges of childhood — teasing, ganging up, enforcing unwritten rules. It’s the same world that gave us sing-song taunts like “cry-baby” or “scaredy-cat.”

By the Victorian era, editors like Greenaway gave the rhyme a softer look with elegant illustrations. But under the polish, the message stayed the same. It’s a rhyme that isn’t about fairies or flowers — it’s about kids and the everyday dramas of loyalty, secrets, and the risk of speaking out.