fish story

Slang Dictionary

fish story definition


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.
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American Heritage
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.
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