User:Tripodero/Fish story

In North America, a fish story is an exaggerated story recounting a fishing exploit purported as true. The aim of a fish story is to entertain and the term carries connotations of falsehood and extreme exaggeration. While the sport of fishing frequently entails long periods of inaction prior to landing a catch, the fish story is related as anything but monotonous and appears in many ways to serve as an antithesis to the actual practice. It is also the origin of the idiom, "fish-eating grin."

History
The usage of "fish story" to connote an unreliable account dates back as early as the 1820s, as indicated by the term being put in quotes, italicized or the story's veracity being examined. For example, a serialized verse novel entitled Cousin Lucy, of the same period, contains the following couplet, "As Mr. Bryon has, in his  Don Juan - That's 'a fish story;' but mine's a true one."

Common tropes
Tropes common to fish stories are the need to reaffirm the truthfulness of the story, the propensity for exaggeration and ...