Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A member of a jury panel chosen from bystanders when a regularly summoned jury turns out to be insufficient in number for a scheduled trial.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The author or relater of a tale.
  • noun In law, a person summoned to act as a juror from among the bystanders in open court.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Law) A person called to make up a deficiency in the number of jurors when a tales is awarded.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun law Someone summoned to a jury when a tales is awarded, to make up numbers.
  • noun rare The author or relater of a tale; storyteller; a speaker of tales (male).

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From tales, talesman, writ of tales.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From tales +‎ man.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From tale's +‎ man.

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Examples

  • But where the inspired tall talesman of simpler days went on and on, never quite certain and never much caring what the next load of breath might contain, at his best he imparted with a new demotic flair the sense of life living.

    2009 July 08 « One-Minute Book Reviews 2009

  • But where the inspired tall talesman of simpler days went on and on, never quite certain and never much caring what the next load of breath might contain, at his best he imparted with a new demotic flair the sense of life living.

    The ‘Terrible Garrulousness’ of American Writing — Quote of the Day / Gore Vidal « One-Minute Book Reviews 2009

  • But at the same time Mason feeling that this very honest, if all too convinced farmer, was a little too emphatic in his beliefs, saying: “With the consent of the Court, the People will excuse the talesman.”

    An American Tragedy 2004

  • The prosecutor, through his own or through hired sleuths, has examined into the family history, the business standing and methods, the financial responsibility, the political and social affiliations, and the personal habits and "past performances" of each and every talesman.

    Courts and Criminals Arthur Cheney Train 1910

  • Inasmuch as the defence needs only to secure the vote of one juryman to procure a disagreement, this offer is a comparatively safe one for the defendant to make, since the prosecutor, who must secure unanimity on the part of the jury (at least in New York State), can afford to take no chances of letting an incompetent or otherwise unfit talesman slip into the box.

    Courts and Criminals Arthur Cheney Train 1910

  • Even when impaneling the jury, I was amazed to find the prejudice against criminal lawyers in general and ourselves in particular; for almost every other talesman swore that he was so fixed in his opinion as to our guilt that it would be impossible to give us a fair trial.

    The Confessions of Artemas Quibble Arthur Cheney Train 1910

  • One look at him as a prospective talesman in a murder case and you would have unhesitatingly murmured, "The defense challenges peremptorily!"

    By Advice of Counsel Arthur Cheney Train 1910

  • "No -- not at all," the talesman may blandly reply.

    Courts and Criminals Arthur Cheney Train 1910

  • Unexpectedly a disgruntled-looking talesman in the back row held up his hand.

    By Advice of Counsel Arthur Cheney Train 1910

  • The whole thing was so thin as to deceive nobody, but Mr. Purdy, as each talesman took the witness-chair to be examined on the voir dire, solemnly asked each one:

    Courts and Criminals Arthur Cheney Train 1910

Comments

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  • If science cannot sell the pill

    Inspiring chronicles will.

    The craftiest salesman

    Is also a talesman,

    Like Mehmet Oz, the medical shill.

    September 6, 2015

  • That's for damn tootin'!

    September 6, 2015

  • Good luck charm for lousy spellers?

    September 7, 2015

  • xD

    September 7, 2015