Definition

Noun: A tall tale is a story that is highly exaggerated, fanciful, and improbable. It often describes incredible feats or events in a humorous or boastful way, and is not meant to be taken as fact.

Usage

A "tall tale" is used to refer to a narrative that is clearly an invention or a gross exaggeration. It is often told for entertainment, to amaze the listener, or to playfully boast.

Examples

• He entertained the children with a tall tale about catching a fish as big as a car.
• Many of the stories about the old lumberjack are amusing tall tales.
• "I walked fifteen miles to school in the snow, uphill both ways!" is a classic tall tale parents might tell.

Advanced Usage

• To spin a tall tale: This phrase means to invent and tell an exaggerated story.
  • The old sailor loved to spin a tall tale about his adventures with sea monsters.
• The genre of the "tall tale" is a recognized form of American folklore, featuring legendary characters like Paul Bunyan or Pecos Bill who perform impossible deeds.

Variants and Related Words

• Tall story (noun phrase): A synonym for "tall tale," commonly used in British English.
  • That's a tall story if I ever heard one!

Synonyms

• Exaggeration: A statement that represents something as better or worse than it really is.
• Yarn: (Informal) A long, often elaborate narrative of adventures, especially one that is improbable.
• Whopper: (Informal) A gross or blatant lie.

Related Idioms

• A fish story: An exaggerated or improbable story, originally about the size of a fish that was caught.
  • His account of the meeting sounds like a real fish story.

Noun

1. an improbable (unusual or incredible or fanciful) story