| Front | shaggy-dog story \SHAG-ee-DOG-STOR-ee\ |
|---|---|
| Back | noun A long, drawn-out circumstantial story concerning an inconsequential happening that impresses the teller as humorous but the hearer as boring and pointless; also: a similar humorous story whose humor lies in the pointlessness or irrelevance of the punch line. [The origin of the adjective "shaggy-dog" isn't truly known, but lexicographer Eric Partridge rather believably tells us that it originated with a shaggy-dog story of the amusing sort that involves -- of course! -- a shaggy dog. Today, the word sometimes refers to a rambling story that impresses the teller as humorous or interesting but the hearer as boring and pointless, but it can also refer to a similar story (or movie or TV show) that is actually humorous and whose humor lies in its very pointlessness or irrelevance.] "The actor's next film is a shaggy-dog comedy in which he plays a burnt-out, unemployed slacker who falls for the girl next door." |
Tags: priorityhigh
Learn with these flashcards. Click next, previous, or up to navigate to more flashcards for this subject.
Next card: Sui generis soo-eye-jen-uh-rus soo-ee-jen-uh-rus adjective kind unique latin
Previous card: Pilgarlic looked presidential pil-gar-lik noun bald-headed person man
Up to card list: Hard English Vocabulary