tall story

English
WOTD – 7 August 2023

Etymology

From tall (“exaggerated”) +‎ story.[1][2]

Pronunciation
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /tɔːl ˈstɔːɹi/
  • (General American) IPA(key): /tɔl ˈstɔɹi/
  • Audio (GA)(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɔːɹi

Noun

tall story (plural tall stories)

  1. (idiomatic) Synonym of tall tale (“a tale or story which is fantastic and greatly exaggerated; also, an account of questionable veracity; a lie, an untruth”)
    Synonyms: Banbury story of a cock and a bull, cock-and-bull story, fish story, traveller's tale
    • 2023 November 24, Esther Addley, “Was Roman emperor Elagabalus really trans – and does it really matter?”, in The Guardian‎, →ISSN:
      Mary Beard, formerly professor of classics at Cambridge University, directed followers on X to her latest book, titled Emperor of Rome, which opens with a lengthy discussion of the “tall stories” told about Elagabalus.

Translations
synonym of tall tale — see tall tale

References
  1. Compare “tall, adj. (and n.)”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, July 2023.
  2. “tall story, n.”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.