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Synonyms

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

They are both, that is to say, resounding testaments from British dramatists to the particular power of live theater to spin a yarn that ties an audience in knots.

From New York Times • Feb. 14, 2016

This is almost invariably true, even when he sets out to spin a yarn for the story's simple sake.

From The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 11 (of 12) Dresden Edition?Miscellany by Ingersoll, Robert Green

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.