Meaning & use
it's a long story
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phraseinformal
Used to say that the explanation for something is too complicated or embarrassing to give now.
Grammar: Stands alone as a complete response; it is not used with an object or changed for tense.
Patterns
- It's a long story.
- It's a long story, but ...
Why aren't you and Dan speaking anymore? — It's a long story.
I asked how she got the job, and she just said, "It's a long story."
It's a long story, but basically we missed the last train and slept at the station.
Common combinations
- make a long story short
- To make a long story short, we sold the house and moved abroad.
- a long story
- How did you end up here? That's a long story.
- the whole story
- That's not the whole story — there's more to it.
Synonyms and how they differ
- it's complicated
- Similar in function, but often used about relationships and feelings rather than events.
- I'd rather not go into it
- More formal and more clearly a refusal to explain.
Commonly confused: it's a long story or long story short?
it's a long story vs long story short
This is a different idiom meaning 'to summarize quickly', as in 'Long story short, we left early.'
Practice
A friend asks why you look upset. You don't want to explain, so you say:
Choose one answer.
The fixed phrase uses 'a' and no article change: 'It's a long story.' Option 1 wrongly adds 'the', option 2 drops the article, and option 3 reverses the structure unnaturally.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “it's a long story”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.