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    cock and bull story

    noun

    • 1. an implausible story used as an explanation or excuse: informal "nobody believes this cock and bull story about the sacking incident"
  2. COCK-AND-BULL STORY definition: 1. a story that is obviously not true, especially one given as an excuse: 2. a story that is…. Learn more.

  3. Cock and bull story’ is one of the most mis-attributed phrases in the language. This reference to ‘a cock’ and ‘a bull’, which is duplicated in all the early 17th and 18th century citations of the phrase, lends support to the view that the stories were about cocks and bulls, that is, fanciful tales, rather than stories told in the Cock or the Bull.

  4. Aug 11, 2023 · "It is a mere cock and bull story, of a cock and a bull, and the rest of that rigmarole." – John Day, "Law Tricks," 1608. Some literary historians also tie this idiom to the French story "The Comical History of the States and Empires of the Moon" by Cyrano de Bergerac, published in 1657, where similar exaggerated storytelling techniques were used.

  5. The Cock and the Bull inns in Stony Stratford were staging posts for rival coach lines on Watling Street, the London–Birmingham turnpike road. [ a ] It is said that local people, regarding the passengers staying at the inns as a source of news, were told fanciful stories; there was even rivalry between the two inns as to who could tell the most outlandish story.

  6. The meaning of COCK-AND-BULL STORY is an incredible story told as true.

  7. Informal an obviously improbable story, esp a boastful one or one used as an excuse.... Click for English pronunciations, examples sentences, video.

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  9. Definition of cock and bull story noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

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