# Banbury story of a cock and a bull

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/banbury-story-of-a-cock-and-a-bull
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A roundabout, nonsensical story.

## Examples

- 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.

## Origin

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. (unknown)

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