adj. Revealing some but not all information that is considered private, secret, or sensitive.
2003
Just when the nation's political conversation threatened to become oversaturated with the mysterious absence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, along comes the perfect summer stand-in.
"Living History," Hillary Clinton's political "tell-some" book.
"Living History," Hillary Clinton's political "tell-some" book.
2002
If bad publicity is better than none at all, then Richard Blow is an author more blessed than most.
Some reviews of "American Son," his new memoir of working with John F. Kennedy Jr., set new standards for brutality. …
Blow, whose book is more of a tell-some than tell-all, defends it as "honest without being tawdry, and admiring without being sycophantic."
Some reviews of "American Son," his new memoir of working with John F. Kennedy Jr., set new standards for brutality. …
Blow, whose book is more of a tell-some than tell-all, defends it as "honest without being tawdry, and admiring without being sycophantic."
1989 (earliest)
"Cover Story" is a monthly ranking of celebrities' popularity as reflected by their appearances on the covers of more than 30 of the nation's leading publications. …
Placing second for the month was — surprise — Roseanne Barr, the hottest cover celebrity to date. Ms. Barr's 6 points in September lifted her year-to-date total to 64.5, a mere 3 points behind the record set by Princess Di in 1987.
The publication of Ms. Barr's new tell-some book, "Roseanne: My Life as a Woman," and her promotional appearances kept media attention focused her way.
Placing second for the month was — surprise — Roseanne Barr, the hottest cover celebrity to date. Ms. Barr's 6 points in September lifted her year-to-date total to 64.5, a mere 3 points behind the record set by Princess Di in 1987.
The publication of Ms. Barr's new tell-some book, "Roseanne: My Life as a Woman," and her promotional appearances kept media attention focused her way.
This phrase is a play on tell-all, revealing all information, even that which is private, secret, or sensitive, which has been in the language since at least 1959. (There's also a noun sense that has been around since at least 1976; see example citation #2).