tea leaf

the dried leaf of the tea shrub, used to make tea

(usually plural) shredded parts of these leaves, esp after infusion

British and Australian slang a thief

Word Origin for tea leaf

sense 3 rhyming slang

This contest is already being used as a proxy for the November general election, with tea-leaf reading being in ample supply.

Scott Walker Won Because He Took Action Against Soaring Pension Costs |Zachary Karabell |June 6, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
The only problem with all the tea-leaf reading that next Tuesday will bring is that it will be meaningless.

Why the Democrats Should Lose |Peter Beinart |October 30, 2009 |DAILY BEAST
The Colonel was coming round; the rest, or the ointment, or the tea-leaf poultice, had been good for snowblindness.

The Magnetic North |Elizabeth Robins (C. E. Raimond)
A good deal of practice is necessary before the tea-leaf symbols can be accurately interpreted at a glance.

Telling Fortunes by Tea Leaves |Cicely Kent

She could not join in the chit-chat which went on under the benevolent influence of the tea-leaf, the great untier of tongues.

When Ghost Meets Ghost |William Frend De Morgan
The leaves are large and do not bear the slightest resemblance to the tea-leaf.

Three Years in Western China |Alexander Hosie
In the proposed United States tea-adulteration law a maximum of 8% of total ash is allowed for tea-leaf.

Legal Chemistry |A. Naquet