spin a yarn

Idioms  

1. Tell a story, especially a long drawn-out or totally fanciful one, as in This author really knows how to spin a yarn, or Whenever he's late he spins some yarn about a crisis. Originally a nautical term dating from about 1800, this expression probably owes its life to the fact that it embodies a double meaning, yarn signifying both “spun fiber” and “a tale.”

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

spin a yarn

Spoiler alert: Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen are likable guys, who can spin a yarn.

From Slate ● Mar. 12, 2021

“To me, there is probably not a greater storyteller as a play-by-play person. He can spin a yarn like nobody else, and it made games definitely more enjoyable to watch.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 25, 2017

Clocking in at 2 hours and 15 minutes, her set allowed fans to methodically appreciate her talent to spin a yarn, twirl in place and sing 19 tunes in that unique vocal style.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 16, 2016

Jim Comey knows how to spin a yarn.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 5, 2016

I likes Jonathan, for he is a sportsman, and we spin a yarn together about 'unting, and how he used to ride over the moon when he whipped in to St. John, in Berkshire.

From Jorrocks' Jaunts and Jollities by Robert Smith Surtees

Related Words

• describe
• detail
• disclose
• present
• reveal