tall tale

Cultural  

1. An exaggerated, unreliable story: “My uncle claims that he was raised in a drainage ditch, but it's just another of his tall tales.”

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tall tale Idioms  

1. A fanciful or greatly exaggerated story, as in Some youngsters love tall tales about creatures from outer space coming to earth. This idiom uses tall in the sense of “exaggerated.” [Mid-1800s]

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Example Sentences

But you have to wonder whether his mother told him a tall tale as a child to comfort him.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2025

It is a frontier town, one that likes a drink, a tall tale from the outback and a weekend spent camping, which is what I planned to do after a few days in town.

From New York Times • Aug. 23, 2023

The preteen’s prank call came after an attorney for Carlee Russell admitted Monday that the Alabama woman spun a tall tale about her own abduction this month — which could also result in criminal charges.

From Washington Times • Jul. 27, 2023

By the end, it should be obvious that this is more of a tall tale than a biography, and that's fine.

From Salon • Nov. 4, 2022

Just a tall tale from long ago that didn’t have anything to do with me?

From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool