Banbury story of a cock and a bull

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Pronunciation

• (RP) IPA: /ˈbænbɹi ˈstɔːɹi əv ə ˈkɒk ənd ə ˈbʊl/
• (GA) IPA: /ˈbænb(ə)ɹi ˈstɔːɹi əv ə ˈkɑk ənd ə ˈbʊl/

Noun

Banbury story of a cock and a bull

1. (idiomatic, obsolete, slang, Britain) A roundabout, nonsensical story. [from about late 17th c. to early 19th c.]
   • 1981, Joan Aiken, The Stolen Lake, London: Jonathan Cape, ISBN 978-0-224-01924-8; republished Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 2000, ISBN 978-0-618-07020-6, page 75:

     Balderdash! Do not seek to pull wool over my eyes, miss! Fabricate me no Banbury stories!

Synonyms

• Banbury tale
• cock-and-bull story

Translations

• French: une histoire sans queue ni tête
• German: eine Geschichte ohne Hand und Fuß a story without hand and feet
• Portuguese: história sem pé nem cabeça a story without feet or head
• Russian: ска́зка про белого бычка
• Spanish: una historia sin pies ni cabeza a story without feet or head

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