telly

nounnounadjectivecommon in dialogue

//ˈtɛli//

Television.

noun

1
Television.
Not much on telly tonight, as usual!
You're from telly!
[...] they were all in agreement: this stuff had to be on the telly.
2
A television set.
We've got a new flat-screen telly.
3
Telegraph.
4
Telephone.
5
Teleport.
6
Telecommunication.

Etymology

Shortened form of tele(vision) + -y.

noun

1
slangA hotel or motel.
I'm staying at the telly this weekend.

Etymology

Shortened form of (ho)tel and/or (mo)tel + -y.

adjective

1
informalInclined to telling (by explicitly stating facts), instead of showing (by conveying an impression so that events are described in the narrative).
I think my problem with it is that it's a) a little "telly" not "showy" in comparison to the rest […]
There's a way to make this more showy and less telly. It's like you're in a hurry to get on with the rest of the story.
story is too, too telly; need at least 3 showy scenes to improve showing:telling ratio
Six of Crows is very telly and little showy. You are constantly getting info dumps and mini-flashbacks to the characters past.

Etymology

From tell + -y, related to the writing advice show, don't tell.

Forms

plural: tellies, tellys
comparative: more telly
superlative: most telly

Teller · A surname.tellin · A marine bivalve mollusc, of the genus Tellina, that burrows…telling · Having force, or having a marked effect; weighty, effective.

telly · Television.

temp · To measure or check the temperature of something, especially…temper · A general tendency or orientation towards a certain type of…temperament · A person's usual manner of thinking, behaving or reacting.

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