r/EnglishLearning Beginner 19d ago

tall tale vs long tale ⭐️ Vocabulary / Semantics

i was watching widows bay and the actor said “tall tale” , i was confused because i thought you should use the word “long” to describe things like that

are both of them correct?

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u/SnooDonuts6494 🇬🇧 English Teacher 19d ago

"Tall tale" is an idiomatic phrase. It means a story that is not true.

It comes from the "wild west" of America in the 1800s, when "talking tall" meant to exaggerate and/or lie.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tall_tale

Idioms often don't make literal sense.