Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web

fish story

 - 4 dictionary results

fish story

–noun Informal.
an exaggerated or incredible story: It was just another one of his fish stories.

Origin:
1810–20, Americanism
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To fish story
fish story  
n.   Informal
An implausible, boastful story.

[From the fact that fishermen traditionally exaggerate the size of their catch.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary
fish story

and fish tale
  1. n.
    a great big lie. (Like the fisherman who exaggerates the size of the fish that got away.) : All we got was a fish story about his luck with the girls. What a liar! , He's a master at the fish tale. Maybe he should be a politician.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Idioms & Phrases

fish story

An improbable, boastful tale, as in He came up with some fish story about his winnings at the track. This expression alludes to the tendency of fishermen to exaggerate the size of their catch. [Early 1800s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see fish story on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: