Banbury story of a cock and a bull

== English == === Etymology === Origin unknown. Folk history claims derivation from the rivalry between two inns in Stony Stratford, Buckinghamshire, England, one called “The Cock” and the other called “The Bull”, where travellers would congregate to hear fanciful stories told; one such story involved travellers destined for the city of Banbury. However, there is little evidence supporting this etymology. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈbænbɹi ˈstɔːɹi əv ə ˈkɒk ənd ə ˈbʊl/ (General American) IPA(key): /ˈbænb(ə)ɹi ˈstɔːɹi əv ə ˈkɑk ənd ə ˈbʊl/ Hyphenation: Ban‧bury story of a cock and a bull === Noun === Banbury story of a cock and a bull (plural Banbury stories of a cock and a bull) (idiomatic, obsolete, slang, British) A roundabout, nonsensical story. [from about late 17th c. to early 19th c.] 1981, Joan Aiken, The Stolen Lake, London: Jonathan Cape, →ISBN; republished Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 2000, →ISBN, page 75: Balderdash! Do not seek to pull wool over my eyes, miss! Fabricate me no Banbury stories! ==== Alternative forms ==== Banbury story Banbury story of a cock and bull ==== Synonyms ==== Banbury tale cock-and-bull story ==== Translations ==== ==== See also ==== shaggy dog story tall tale whopper === References === William Carew Hazlitt, comp. (1907), English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases Collected from the Most Authentic Sources, Alphabetically Arranged and Annotated, with Much Matter not Previously Published[1], London: Reeves and Turner, OCLC 1300770, archived from the original on 1 October 2015; republished New York, N.Y.: Bartleby.com, March 2012: “A Banbury story of a cock and bull. [Francis] Grose.” Eric Partridge (2006), “Banbury story (of a cock and bull)”, in Jacqueline Simpson, editor, The Routledge Dictionary of Historical Slang, 6th edition, London: Routledge, →ISBN.