megillah

American  

[muh-gil-uh, muh-gee-lah] / məˈgɪl ə, mə giˈlɑ /

Or megilla

noun

plural

megillahs,

plural

megilloth, megillot

1. Slang.

   1. a lengthy, detailed explanation or account.

      Just give me the facts, not the whole megillah.

   2. a lengthy and tediously complicated situation or matter.

2. (italics) a scroll, especially one containing the Book of Esther. Others are the Book of Ecclesiastes, the Song of Solomon, the Book of Ruth, and the Book of Lamentations.

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megillah British  

/ miɡiˈla, məˈɡɪlə /

noun

1. a scroll of the Book of Esther, read on the festival of Purim

2. a scroll of the Book of Ruth, Song of Songs, Lamentations, or Ecclesiastes

3. slang anything, such as a story or letter, that is too long or unduly drawn out

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Etymology

Origin of megillah

First recorded in 1910–15; from Yiddish megile, from Biblical Hebrew məgillāh “scroll, roll, volume,” from gālal “to roll”

Example Sentences

And the big megillah: the Good Hope Road and MLK intersection.

From Washington Post • Aug. 19, 2022

No, wait, he wants to buy the whole megillah!

From The Verge • Apr. 16, 2022

While the other offers snacky highlights from the Public Kitchen menu, this one serves the whole megillah.

From New York Times • Oct. 10, 2017

At trial, and then in defending their victory on appeal, they went for the whole megillah: a broad ruling that marriage is a fundamental constitutional right for everyone, full stop, right now.

From Slate • Sep. 20, 2012

"The President and First Lady wanted it to be less of a megillah," said a West Wing official.

From Time Magazine Archive