hiss and tell
n. A book or article in which the author expresses contempt for a person or for people with whom they have had a relationship.
Other Forms
hiss and tell v.hiss-and-tell adj.
Etymology
cf. kiss and tell
Examples
1996
As one British journalist put it, Bardot's memoirs are really a 'hiss and tell.' Bardot trashes her former lovers, disses women who have taken up with her former husbands, describes how she tried to kill herself and reveals she would rather have died than have given birth to her son, Nicolas.
—Matthew Fisher, “Sex Kitten or Sourpuss?,” The Toronto Sun, October 06, 1996
1992
Miami has to talk to play — at least to play well — and according to most accounts, they are ready to play very well. Unfortunately, we don't have a complete version of events since part of the Hurricane code is never to hiss and tell.
—Jim Litke, “Sports News,” The Associated Press, December 31, 1992
1981 (earliest)
Former National Security Council head Zbigniew Brzezinski has had less luck placing his hiss-and-tell volume on the Carter years.
—Michele Slung, “She Lived to Write a Book,” The Washington Post, December 13, 1981
Notes
This phrase is new as a noun, with the 1996 citation above being the earliest I could find. However, the phrase hiss-and-tell has been around as an adjective since the 1980s (see the earliest citation). There's also a verb form, which first appeared in 1992 (see the second example citation).
Posted: January 15, 2001