a cock-and-bull story

cock-and-bull story

A wildly exaggerated or falsified story or explanation. When I questioned Wendy about her recent tardiness, she gave me some cock-and-bull story about how her train took the wrong track and she had to hitchhike to work from the station across town.
See also: story
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

cock-and-bull story

a hard-to-believe, made-up story; a story that is a lie. Don't give me that cock-and-bull story. I asked for an explanation, and all I got was your ridiculous cock-and-bull story!
See also: story
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

cock and bull story

An unbelievable tale that is intended to deceive; a tall tale. For example, Jack told us some cock and bull story about getting lost. This expression may come from a folk tale involving these two animals, or from the name of an English inn where travelers told such tales. W.S. Gilbert used it in The Yeomen of the Guard (1888), where Jack Point and Wilfred the Jailer make up a story about the hero's fictitious death: "Tell a tale of cock and bull, Of convincing detail full." [c. 1600]
See also: and, bull, cock, story
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

a cock-and-bull story

a ridiculous and implausible story.
The expression ‘talk of a cock and a bull’ is recorded from the early 17th century, and apparently refers to an original story or fable which is now lost.
See also: story
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

cock and bull story

A far-fetched tale, intended to deceive. This term dates from approximately 1600, but its origin is obscure. Some say it refers to the name of an English coaching inn, a wayside stop for travelers where such tales were often spun. Others believe it alludes to a fable or folktale about a cock and a bull. By the eighteenth century the term meant a tall tale.
See also: and, bull, cock, story
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer
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