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.”

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Example Sentences

Miller can still spin a yarn some four years after retiring following a 30-year run as NBC’s unfiltered lead analyst.

From Washington Times

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

From Slate

Being a pro, she was able to spin a yarn out of this inelegant question, and explained how it was supposed to be a three or four month shoot, but the filming went for six months.

From The Guardian

A parent might spin a yarn about how Johnny’s relatives came to visit and he didn’t feel like kissing anyone, but the relatives were a little insulted.

From The Wall Street Journal

Garrison Keillor, of public radio, was your quirky uncle, quick to spin a yarn, tell a corny joke or even break into a song that, if you paid close attention, just might have a lesson in it.

From New York Times

Related Words

• describe
• detail
• disclose
• present
• reveal