The invaders had brought siege artillery with them, and after the first assault, from which they had hoped to achieve so much, but in which they were tellingly repulsed, leaving hundreds of their best soldiers dead in the trenches and upon the open field, they resorted to their reserved means of offense.
"The Story of Malta"
Maturin M. Ballou
Yet, see: when a piece of Transatlantic slang happens to be tellingly true- something coined from an absolute experience; from a fight with the elements-we cannot resist it: it invades us.
"Sandra Belloni by George Meredith, v1"
George Meredith
This is the use to which dialogue is put most tellingly-bringing out the incidents in clear relief and at the very same time interpreting them cunningly.
"Writing for Vaudeville"
Brett Page