Banbury story of a cock and a bull
A roundabout, nonsensical story.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“He told me a long cock and a bull story about his car.”
“I did not believe his cock and a bull story about why he missed the meeting.”
“The witness offered a convoluted cock and a bull story that failed to convince the jury of his innocence.”
The origin is unknown, though folk history attributes the phrase to a rivalry between two inns in Stony Stratford, Buckinghamshire, England. According to this narrative, one inn was named the Cock and the other the Bull. These establishments served as hubs for travellers who congregated to exchange fanciful and exaggerated stories, including one particular tale regarding a journey to the city of Banbury.
There is, however, little evidence to support this etymology. The story of the competing inns remains a popular but unproven explanation for how the two animals came to represent a fabrication. While the inns at Stony Stratford exist, the link between their rivalry and the specific idiomatic phrasing is not formally recorded.
- 01
beat the cock
To masturbate.
- 02
break the story
To be the first to address or publicize an issue, often a news story.
- 03
bull in a china shop
A person who is clumsy, aggressive, without care, concern or self-control.
- 04
bull session
An informal discursive group discussion, often one where politics, economics or current events are discussed.
- 05
change one's story
To give an account of events different from the one previously recounted.
- 06
cock a snook
To perform a snook, a gesture of disrespect.
- 07
cock cheese
Smegma or dried semen on the glans penis, usually underneath the foreskin.
- 08
cock in the henhouse
A man in a situation where he has access to many women, presumably intending to seduce them.
Last updated August 10, 2026