a cock and bull story

cock-and-bull story

A wildly exaggerated or falsified story or explanation. When I questioned Wendy about her recent tardiness, she gave me some cock-and-bull story about how her train took the wrong track and she had to hitchhike to work from the station across town.
See also: story
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

a cock and bull story

If you describe an explanation or excuse as a cock and bull story, you mean that you do not believe it. They'll be believed, no matter what kind of a cock and bull story they tell. She tried to feed me some cock-and-bull story about taking care of you. Note: This expression may come from old fables in which animals such as cocks and bulls could talk. Alternatively, it may come from the names of inns, such as `The Cock' and `The Bull', where people gathered and told each other stories and jokes.
See also: and, bull, cock, story
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

a ˌcock and ˈbull story

(informal) a story, an excuse or an explanation that is so unlikely that no one believes it: I asked him about his job and he gave me some cock and bull story about being so rich he didn’t need to work.
See also: and, bull, cock, story
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • a cock-and-bull story
  • cock and bull story
  • cock-and-bull story
  • story
  • tale never loses in the telling
  • a tale never loses in the telling
  • a sting in the tail
  • sting in the tail
  • bedtime
  • bedtime story
References in periodicals archive
Michael Winterbottom's A COCK AND BULL STORY (pounds 19.99) is the story of an 18th century movie within a movie.
A Cock and Bull Story (Cert 15, 90 min, Lionsgate Home Entertainment, Comedy, also DVD pounds 19.99)
BEST BRITISH FILM A Cock and Bull Story The Constant Gardener Festival Pride and Prejudice Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were Rabbit
THE STORY Loosely based on Laurence Sterne's famously unreadable classic novel - The Life And Opinions Of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman - A Cock And Bull Story is actually a satire about the film business.
A Cock And Bull Story, which isn't out until January, is Michael Winterbottom's re- working of The Life and Opinions Of Tristram Shandy.
As far as I am concerned it is a cock and bull story. But the reality is you speak about the past, I recently went to London and met with Queen Elizabeth.
Two decades on, this is a colourful, 101-minute biopic of a significant chunk of his life, with Steve Coogan reuniting with director Michael Winterbottom after previous collaborations 24 Hour Party People, A Cock and Bull Story and The Trip series on TV.
THE Trip is a new series starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon and directed by Michael Winterbottom, the acclaimed film-maker behind the likes of A Cock and Bull Story, 24 Hour Party People and A Mighty Heart.
Now the 41-year-old Swansea-born star of A Cock and Bull Story and Supernova has wed Clare, 33, a researcher at The South Bank Show, at Windsor Parish Church.
In return for the new technology, cinemas will show more specialised, non-blockbuster films, such as lower budget British films like A Cock and Bull Story, the critically acclaimed Good Night, And Good Luck and classics including Brief Encounter.
Frank, whose film scripts include 24 Hour Party People, Weclome to Sarajevo and A Cock and Bull Story, gave his support to the pioneering project.
Consequently, A Cock and Bull Story is full of barbed-wire one liners and gut-wrenching silences.
Wallace And Gromit: The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit has the nomination for British film and will be battling it out for the title with Pride And Prejudice, The Constant Gardener, A Cock And Bull Story and Festival.
Fentimans, the Newcastle-based drinks firm, is to serve its full-bodied shandy to stars at the launch of A Cock and Bull Story at Cineworld in London's Haymarket on Monday.
As well as "Pride & Prejudice," they have backed "The Phantom of the Opera," "The Constant Gardener,": "Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story" and the upcoming Lions Gate horror pic "Minotaur."