cock-and-bull story
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cock-and-bull story
Where it comes from
Unknown. The phrase is noted as similar in meaning and form to French coq-à-l'âne (“satire, incoherent story”, literally “cock to the ass”) which was borrowed into Scots as cockalane.
theories of origin
Theories of the term's ultimate origin include allusions to stories which feature talking animals and that the term refers to gossip typical of what were historically two coaching inns, The Cock and The Bull, in Stony Stratford, England.
noun cock-and-bull stories
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A far-fetched and fanciful story or tale of highly dubious validity.
The grinning landlord, as well as the boarders, seemed amazingly tickled at the sudden friendship which had sprung up between me and Queequeg—especially as Peter Coffin’s cock and bull stories about him had previously so much alarmed me concerning the very person whom I now companied with.
Similar: Banbury story of a cock and a bull
Translations
Every language
noun far-fetched and fanciful story or tale of highly dubious validity
| Español | chocoaventura, cuento chino |
|---|---|
| Português | história pra boi dormir, conto da carochinha, conto |
| Français | histoire à dormir debout, conte de bonne femme |
| Deutsch | Lügengeschichte, Münchhausengeschichte, (jemandem was) vom Pferd erzählen |
| Русский | ска́зка про бе́лого бычка́ skázka pro bélovo byčká |
Talk about this word "cock-and-bull story." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/cock-and-bull%20story. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026. cock-and-bull story. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 7, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/cock-and-bull%20story "cock-and-bull story." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 7, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/cock-and-bull%20story.Cite this
@misc{cock_and_bull_story_2026,
title = {cock-and-bull story},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/cock-and-bull%20story},
urldate = {2026-11-07}
}
