scare story
A rumour spread by a scaremonger in order to cause anxiety.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Do not believe that scare story about the local water supply.”
“The newspaper published a scare story about the economy to make people worried about their savings.”
“Despite the lack of evidence, the politician continued to spread a scare story regarding the new policy to manipulate public opinion.”
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Banbury story of a cock and a bull
A roundabout, nonsensical story.
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break the story
To be the first to address or publicize an issue, often a news story.
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change one's story
To give an account of events different from the one previously recounted.
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cock-and-bull story
A far-fetched and fanciful story or tale of highly dubious validity.
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long story short
Introducing a short version of, or simply the conclusion of, a relevant story.
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moral of the story
The key lesson or message that an incident, situation or other happening conveys; a general takeaway point.
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run scared
To be in a state of fearful alarm.
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same old story
What usually happens; an occurrence that is tediously familiar.
Last updated August 10, 2026