cock and bull story
a ridiculous, untrue story
TRANSLATION
cock and bull story = die Räubergeschichte, das Seemannsgarn --- GOOGLE INDEX cock and bull story: approximately 850,000 Google hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
The judge described Hall's initial account of how he came to have the items as a COCK AND BULL STORY.
(BBC News)
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Eating Beef Harms Fertility – A COCK AND BULL STORY?
(www.stats.org)
(BBC News)
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Eating Beef Harms Fertility – A COCK AND BULL STORY?
(www.stats.org)
Did you
know?
cock and bull story
idiom
- a fanciful and unbelievable tale
(The Phrase Finder)
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The residents of Stony Stratford in Buckingham, England have claimed the origin of the expression "cock and bull story" for themselves. As the story goes, in the 18th and early 19th centuries, the town was an important stopping-off point for mail and passenger coaches travelling between London and the North of England. Two of the main coaching inns were the Cock and the Bull.
The legend goes on to explain that a rivalry of sorts developed, which resulted in the travelers staying at the two inns trying to outdo one another with the most outrageous and unbelievable stories. These tales supposedly became known as cock and bull stories.
But that may just be a cock and bull story in itself. Many word experts believe the phrase comes from old folk tales involving magical animals. There is also evidence that a 17th century French phrase that meant "a chaotic story, passing from one subject to another" was literally translated as "from rooster to jackass". While that sounds like a more logical source of the expression "cock and bull", we wouldn't want to spoil the fun of the people of Stony Stratford, would we?
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SYNONYMS
canard, tall tale, fable, whopper, yarn
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SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"My grandfather was a wonderful teller of cock and bull stories. I only wish I had written them down."
idiom
- a fanciful and unbelievable tale
(The Phrase Finder)
---
The residents of Stony Stratford in Buckingham, England have claimed the origin of the expression "cock and bull story" for themselves. As the story goes, in the 18th and early 19th centuries, the town was an important stopping-off point for mail and passenger coaches travelling between London and the North of England. Two of the main coaching inns were the Cock and the Bull.
The legend goes on to explain that a rivalry of sorts developed, which resulted in the travelers staying at the two inns trying to outdo one another with the most outrageous and unbelievable stories. These tales supposedly became known as cock and bull stories.
But that may just be a cock and bull story in itself. Many word experts believe the phrase comes from old folk tales involving magical animals. There is also evidence that a 17th century French phrase that meant "a chaotic story, passing from one subject to another" was literally translated as "from rooster to jackass". While that sounds like a more logical source of the expression "cock and bull", we wouldn't want to spoil the fun of the people of Stony Stratford, would we?
---
SYNONYMS
canard, tall tale, fable, whopper, yarn
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"My grandfather was a wonderful teller of cock and bull stories. I only wish I had written them down."
