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tell on sb

(AFFECT BADLY) phrasal verb with tell
 
 
/tel/ verb (told, told)

Definition

to have a bad effect on someone's health or behaviour: A succession of late nights had begun to tell on him and his work was suffering.Damaging and spoilingDestroying and demolishing
(Definition of tell on sb (AFFECT BADLY) from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

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