{"id":6460,"date":"2022-08-28T18:12:32","date_gmt":"2022-08-28T18:12:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=6460"},"modified":"2022-08-28T18:12:32","modified_gmt":"2022-08-28T18:12:32","slug":"cock-and-bull-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/cock-and-bull-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Cock and Bull \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Did someone ask you if you want to go for a drink at the \u2018<strong><em>Cock and Bull\u2019<\/em><\/strong> after work? This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n<h2>Meaning<\/h2>\n<p>The expression \u2018<em>Cock and Bull\u2019<\/em>\u00a0<u>i<\/u>s a way of <u>describing a fanciful or outlandish story told by someone.<\/u><\/p>\n<p>The cock and bull refers to an English pub, and it\u2019s commonly used as the name for English-themed bars and restaurants throughout the world. If you\u2019re talking <em>\u2018cock and bull\u2019<\/em> to someone, you\u2019re spinning a fanciful tale that sounds unbelievable.<\/p>\n<h2>Example Usage<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cLet\u2019s head down to the Cock and Bull after work for a pint. I have something I need to discuss with you, and I need your advice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe were at the Cock and Bull on Friday, and it was a great time. I love the craft beer they have on tap at that place. It\u2019s delicious.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Cock and Bull is the best pub in town. I\u2019m a local there, and all the bartenders know what I drink.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI love hanging out at the Cock and Bull. It has a great vibe, and the people are always so friendly. They have my favorite beer on tap, and the service is excellent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-6461\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Cock-and-Bull-219x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"211\" height=\"289\" srcset=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Cock-and-Bull-219x300.jpg 219w, https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Cock-and-Bull.jpg 297w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 211px) 100vw, 211px\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-6462\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Cock-and-Bull2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"291\" height=\"291\" srcset=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Cock-and-Bull2.jpg 291w, https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Cock-and-Bull2-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Cock-and-Bull2-120x120.jpg 120w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 291px) 100vw, 291px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Origin<\/h2>\n<p>The origin story of the expression 'Cock and Bull' traces back to the English village of Stony Stratford, also known as 'The Jewel of Milton Keynes,' in Buckinghamshire, England. Stony Stratford is a pleasant town in England, with its name derived from 'the stony ford on the Roman road.'<\/p>\n<p>Stony Stratford is on the old Roman road, Watling Street, now known as the 'A5.' During the peak of the coach and horse era during the 18th and early 19th centuries, the town was a stopping point for coaches traveling to Northern England.<\/p>\n<p>The Cock and the Bull were two coaching inns in Stony Stratford, with travelers and residents of the town creating fanciful stories around 'The Cock and Bull.'<\/p>\n<p>The first use of 'Cock and Bull' in print comes from the pen of John Day, an English dramatist. The phrase, published in 1608, appears as follows.<\/p>\n<p>\"That boy is worth his weight in pearle, dist marke what a tale of a Cock and a Bull he told my father while I made thee and the rest away.\"<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Cock and bull story - Easy English Explanation\" width=\"512\" height=\"288\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xM5odzoM2vY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Phrases Similar to Cock and Bull<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>N\/A.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Phrases Opposite to Cock and Bull<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>N\/A.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What is the Correct Saying?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Cock and Bull.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Ways People May Say Cock and Bull Incorrectly<\/h2>\n<p>Some people may assume that \u2018cock and bull\u2019 has a sexual innuendo behind it. However, it refers to the name of an English pub and a historical story in the English community. Using it as a sexual reference is incorrect.<\/p>\n<h2>Acceptable Ways to Phrase Cock and Bull<\/h2>\n<p>The expression \u2018cock and bull\u2019 refers to an old English story of a feud between villages. It doesn\u2019t have any meaning, and there is no way to use it in conversation other than by describing the story of the cock and bull. It\u2019s a common saying in England, and there are many pubs named \u2018The Cock and Bull.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a common name for a pub, and you\u2019ll find publicans using it to name their establishment in locations around the globe. Typically, people will use it as a reference for a pub, even if it has a different name to \u2018The Cock and Bull.\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-2\">Did someone ask you if you want to go for a drink at the \u2018Cock and Bull\u2019 after work? This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression. Meaning The expression \u2018Cock and Bull\u2019\u00a0is a way of describing a fanciful or outlandish story told by someone. The cock and bull refers to an English [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6460"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6460"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6460\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8192,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6460\/revisions\/8192"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}