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Sentence #40587

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Siganiv Siganiv November 23, 2014 November 23, 2014 at 6:00:52 PM UTC link Permalink

Could any native speaker of English explain this expression and give some more examples of its use?

AlanF_US AlanF_US November 23, 2014 November 23, 2014 at 8:50:52 PM UTC link Permalink

Searching for "reading tea leaves" brings you to the "Tasseography" page on Wikipedia ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tasseography ):

"Tasseography (also known as tasseomancy or tassology) is a divination or fortune-telling method that interprets patterns in tea leaves, coffee grounds, or wine sediments."

The speaker is saying, in an indirect, joking manner, that various signs suggest that a company will merge with another. The real signs are probably not tea leaves, but financial statistics, statements by company executives, etc.

Here's another sentence that uses a reference to lea leaf reading in a more traditional manner: "The tea leaves in your cup tell me that you will meet a tall, handsome stranger."

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License: CC BY 2.0 FR

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The tea leaves all point to a merger, if you ask me.

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