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Meaning of "shaggy dog story" in the English dictionary

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DICTIONARY
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PRONUNCIATION OF SHAGGY DOG STORY

shaggy dog story play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF SHAGGY DOG STORY

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Shaggy dog story is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES SHAGGY DOG STORY MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Shaggy dog story

In its original sense, a shaggy dog story is an extremely long-winded anecdote characterized by extensive narration of typically irrelevant incidents and terminated by an anticlimax or a pointless punchline. Shaggy dog stories play upon the audience's preconceptions of joke-telling. The audience listens to the story with certain expectations, which are either simply not met or met in some entirely unexpected manner. A lengthy shaggy dog story derives its humour from the fact that the joke-teller held the attention of the listeners for a long time for no reason at all, as the end resolution is essentially meaningless.

Definition of shaggy dog story in the English dictionary

The definition of shaggy dog story in the dictionary is a long rambling joke ending in a deliberate anticlimax, such as a pointless punch line.

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE SHAGGY DOG STORY

shag pile carpet
shag pile rug
shag rug
shagbark
shaggable
shagged
shaggedness
shaggier
shaggiest
shaggily
shagginess
shagging
shaggy
shaggy cap
shaggymane
shagpile
shagreen
shagreen ray
shagroon
shagtastic

WORDS THAT END LIKE SHAGGY DOG STORY

alternative history
ancient history
cover story
credit history
directory
ghost story
history
horror story
life story
love story
medical history
natural history
oral history
prehistory
service history
short story
sob story
social history
story
success story
the same old story

Synonyms and antonyms of shaggy dog story in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «shaggy dog story» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF SHAGGY DOG STORY

Find out the translation of shaggy dog story to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of shaggy dog story from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «shaggy dog story» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

毛茸茸的狗的故事
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

historia de un perro lanudo
570 millions of speakers

English

shaggy dog story
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

झबरा कुत्ता कहानी
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

قصة كلب أشعث
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

лохматый история собаки
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

história Shaggy Dog
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

জঘন্য কুকুর গল্প
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

histoire sans queue ni tête
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Cerita dog shaggy
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Shaggy Dog Geschichte
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

シャギードッグストーリー
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

털이 개 이야기
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Crita asu shaggy
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

câu chuyện con chó xù xì
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

சாக்லேட் நாய் கதை
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

लबाडीचा कुत्रा कथा
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

Gölgeli köpek hikayesi
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

shaggy dog ​​story
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

historia pies kudłaty
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

кошлатий історія собаки
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

Povestea câine pletos
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

δασύτριχος ιστορία του σκύλου
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

ruig hond storie
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

raggig hund berättelse
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

raggete hund story
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of shaggy dog story

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «SHAGGY DOG STORY»

The term «shaggy dog story» is normally little used and occupies the 139.390 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Little used
35
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «shaggy dog story» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of shaggy dog story
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «shaggy dog story».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «SHAGGY DOG STORY» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «shaggy dog story» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «shaggy dog story» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about shaggy dog story

EXAMPLES

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «SHAGGY DOG STORY»

Discover the use of shaggy dog story in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to shaggy dog story and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
The Shaggy Dog Story Book
Harvey Martin. the mouth. This time the old woman jerked the window completely open, grabbed the pipe out of my mouth, and threw it out of the speeding train. I got so mad at her for throwing away my favorite pipe that I reached over, ...
Harvey Martin, 2009
2
Through the Grapevine: World Tales Kids Can Read & Tell
... songs, and rhymes is alive and well on school playgrounds, in the cafeteria, and around the campfire. This story is an example of what is called a "shaggy dog*" story. In a shaggy dog story, the teller draws out the story, adding lots of detail.
‎2001
3
Isaac Asimov's Treasury of Humor: A Lifetime Collection of ...
... a pitch you can carry an audience and how suddenly you can let it drop — I suppose I can't stop you. But do it as infrequently as you can, for your own sake. Often this kind of beyond-the-limits-of-anticlimax story is called a shaggy-dog story.
Isaac Asimov, 1971
4
Jokelore: Humorous Folktales from Indiana
Shaggy. Dogs. According to Jan Harold Brunvand in his valuable index, " Classification for Shaggy Dog Stories" (Journal of American Folklore, 76 [January -March 1963]: 44), a shaggy dog story is "a nonsensical joke that employs in the punch ...
Ronald L. Baker, 1986
5
Romantic Complexity: Keats, Coleridge, and Wordsworth
Because they are mysterious and puzzling especially in their conclusions — or nonconclusions — I want to liken the poems, for the sake of illustration, to the kind of joke called a shaggy-dog story, a type that dates from around the time I was in ...
Jack Stillinger, 2008
6
Concluding Unscientific Postscript to "Philosophical Fragments"
Weber uses the term "shaggy dog story" to describe this form of humor. He seems to be focusing on the refusal of the traditional shaggy dog story to offer the kind of neat condensation of language in a "punch line" that is the promise of the ...
Robert L. Perkins, 1997
7
The National and Religious Song Reader: Patriotic, ...
There is an extended shaggy dog story which has been floating around for years. In an effort to keep the tale to less than a quarter hour, a very abridged version follows. A girl had a pet creature which was called a "rarie" because it was very ...
William Emmett Studwell, 1996
8
Tom Stoppard in Conversation
But if The Real Inspector Hound is a shaggy-dog story, it continues to snare numerous listeners. Despite Stoppard's steadfast denial that the play is anything more than a mere entertainment, it remains the only way his work is represented in ...
Paul Delaney, 1994
9
We Think We Think: Captions to the Cartoons We Live, Volume One
A caption is a didactic literary form between a sermon and shaggy dog story. The word is adapted from the term for a phrase beneath a picture or graphic. Captions , in this case, serve as an explanatory narrative to some experience we live, i.e. ...
H. Alan Tansson, 2010
10
Aliens, Ghosts, and Cults
The narrative ends in the same way as the "shaggy dog" story, with the supposed lunatic pursuing the narrator only to say "Tag" at the climax. Dorson, although more an outsider than a traditional member of the informant's audience, clearly ...
Bill Ellis

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «SHAGGY DOG STORY»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term shaggy dog story is used in the context of the following news items.
1
BWW Reviews: A Fashion-Tinged Shaggy Dog Story: EVERYTHING …
I think it is better to call it simply a shaggy dog story that occasionally contains elements of a feminist critique of fashion. This is a shaggy dog story starring a ... «Broadway World, Jul 15»
2
Review: 'Max', a shaggy dog story
It's officially summer. What better time for a heartwarming caper movie about a troubled but noble Texas teen, his troubled but noble dog, and those crazy mean ... «gulfnews.com, Jun 15»
3
The Times Diary (TMS): Springsteen's flower power, Shaggy dog
The Times Diary (TMS): Springsteen's flower power, Shaggy dog story, Clerk got the hump and In a league of his own. Article; Send us your tip-offs. Springsteen ... «The Times, Jun 15»
4
Britain's Got Talent final: Jules and Matisse win talent show with …
But it was the heart-warming canine caper performed by Matisse and his owner ... of the performers were able to outshine Jules and Matisse's shaggy dog story. «International Business Times UK, May 15»
5
Shaggy dog story of the 'bored' Scottish politician and his pooch
Shaggy dog story of the 'bored' Scottish politician and his pooch. Labour MP Tom ... “So here's a video of a dog being dragged around on a carpet.” Is this a ... «Irish Times, May 15»
6
Poor Jagger wasn't the only thing poisoned
The owner of the dog, which came second in its group at Crufts, claims that Jagger was ... I preferred Crufts when it was a shaggy dog story told by a delightfully ... «Telegraph.co.uk, Mar 15»
7
Shaggy dog's cat-and-mouse game is over
Kim Stubbart slipped a leash on Shaggy while feeding him a breakfast of smoked ... But this shaggy dog story finally got the happy ending residents wanted. «The Detroit News, Mar 15»
8
This shaggy dog story is just about taking the biscuit
“It's unbelievable Biscuit still hasn't found a home when he's such a beautiful and fun-loving dog who would fit in perfectly with a family,” says Kaye Mughal, ... «Irish Times, Dec 14»
9
'Spider Dog' turns out to be just a shaggy dog story
Spiders are terrifying enough when they're small and climbing their way up the living room wall. So imagine how scary it would be if the creepy crawler was a ... «Today.com, Sep 14»
10
It's The Beginning Of The End For FXX Shaggy Dog Story 'Wilfred'
131 Airing on Wednesday nights, the fourth and final season of the dark cult comedy WILFRED will air on FXX (instead of its original home on FX) and has been ... «Hollywood Outbreak, Jun 14»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Shaggy dog story [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/shaggy-dog-story>. Apr 2024 ».
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