tall tale
Cultural-
An exaggerated, unreliable story: “My uncle claims that he was raised in a drainage ditch, but it's just another of his tall tales.”
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A fanciful or greatly exaggerated story, as in Some youngsters love tall tales about creatures from outer space coming to earth. This idiom uses tall in the sense of “exaggerated.” [Mid-1800s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The preteen’s prank call came after an attorney for Carlee Russell admitted Monday that the Alabama woman spun a tall tale about her own abduction this month — which could also result in criminal charges.
From Washington Times • Jul. 27, 2023
For people who don't recognize Ballard as the most public face of a ridiculous tall tale accusing Wayfair of shipping stolen children in cabinets, the film's content may be extremely traumatizing.
From Salon • Jul. 22, 2023
A tall tale, like Bigfoot or the jackalope?
From Washington Post • Apr. 8, 2023
This isn’t some old-timer’s tall tale: Lori Ford has been walking two miles down a dirt road, with snow past her knees, just to get to work this month.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2023
Just a tall tale from long ago that didn’t have anything to do with me?
From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.