"tell its own tale" meaning in English

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "tells its own tale",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "telling its own tale",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "told its own tale",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "told its own tale",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "tell<,,told> its own tale"
      },
      "expansion": "tell its own tale (third-person singular simple present tells its own tale, present participle telling its own tale, simple past and past participle told its own tale)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with placeholder \"it\"",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1868, Frances Mary Oxenham, Edith Sydney, page 19:",
          "text": "[…] and looking out she saw Sir William Grant approaching at an easy trot, for he was anxious to avoid giving her any sudden shock; but the poor animal's state told its own tale; and starting up, Lady Sydney herself opened the hall-door […]",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To speak for itself; to require no explanation."
      ],
      "id": "en-tell_its_own_tale-en-verb-joeaLNrx",
      "links": [
        [
          "speak for itself",
          "speak for oneself"
        ],
        [
          "explanation",
          "explanation"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To speak for itself; to require no explanation."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "tell its own tale"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "tells its own tale",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "telling its own tale",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "told its own tale",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "told its own tale",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "tell<,,told> its own tale"
      },
      "expansion": "tell its own tale (third-person singular simple present tells its own tale, present participle telling its own tale, simple past and past participle told its own tale)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English idioms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English terms with placeholder \"it\"",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English verbs",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1868, Frances Mary Oxenham, Edith Sydney, page 19:",
          "text": "[…] and looking out she saw Sir William Grant approaching at an easy trot, for he was anxious to avoid giving her any sudden shock; but the poor animal's state told its own tale; and starting up, Lady Sydney herself opened the hall-door […]",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To speak for itself; to require no explanation."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "speak for itself",
          "speak for oneself"
        ],
        [
          "explanation",
          "explanation"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To speak for itself; to require no explanation."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "tell its own tale"
}