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 (General American):(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[1], →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

References

  1. ^ Compare “tall, adj. (and n.)”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, July 2023.
  2. ^ “tall story, n.”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
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