to give the game away
1
5.5
- phrasal verb
- If you talk about the ending of the movie, you'll give the game away for everyone else.
Examples
-
He didn't mean to give the game away, but his expression revealed the secret.
-
Don't give the game away.
Fiction book (1994) -
You must have given the game away.
-
You gave the game away.
-
You give the game away when you fired that shot.
-
Your second sentence gives the game away, though.
Blog text (26) -
I'm not gonna give the game away!
-
- Please don't give the game away.
-
Don't give the game away too soon.
Academic text (2009) -
I accidentally gave the game away when I mentioned the surprise party.
Synonyms
∞
2.3
Show something that was hidden or secret
413
4.1
Reveal hidden facts or bad actions to people
331
6.1
Tell secrets or private facts because of pressure
293
4.1
To tell secret information to the public without permission
234
3.5
Reveal secret facts to the public
130
3.4
Tell a secret on purpose or by accident
120
4.1
To make something known for the first time
94
4.5
To reveal secret information, often by mistake
80
8.6
To tell the police or another authority about someone's bad action, betraying their trust
68
6.0
To tell a secret or show feelings you were trying to hide
52
6.2
To tell secret or private information to people
51
3.7
Make secret information known to the public
38
4.2
To show a feeling or secret without meaning to
30
3.7
People find out secret information without permission
27
3.7
Tell secret or private information to other people
23
5.6
Accidentally tell someone something you want to keep secret
18
6.0
Tell a secret by accident before others know
13
5.5
To show something hidden so people can see it
10
7.0
Tell a person in charge about someone else's bad actions in a childish way
8
6.5
To make a secret suddenly become known
8
6.8
Reveal secret information that shocks people
6
5.5
To suddenly tell people something very surprising that shocks them
4
5.1
To tell a secret that should be kept
3
4.0
Make something visible by removing a cover
2
7.1
To reveal information that was previously hidden
2
6.5
Tell a secret and spoil a planned surprise
1
7.9
To tell a secret carelessly or without meaning to
1
4.4
To tell people about something secret
1
9.9
To show a company's private information to others, often during business talks
1
9.9
To make a secret known often without meaning to
1
9.1
To openly say something people usually keep secret
To show your plans or ideas too early to others
Antonyms
How Revealing
∞
2.3
1
5.5
- Informal
46
3.9
23
5.6
119
2.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
Although 'give' and 'away' can signal transfer or loss and 'give away' can sometimes mean 'reveal', the noun 'game' here has an idiomatic sense (a plan/secret) that is not the prototypical meaning of 'game' for a B1 learner. The overall sense 'to reveal a secret' is a lexicalized idiom and cannot be reliably derived from the literal meanings of the constituents, so it is opaque.
Etymology
Give the game away may come from old card or hunting games: if you accidentally show your cards or point to the game, you give it away, so everyone knows the result. So, the phrase now means 'to reveal a secret'.