long story

Meanings

1. 1phrasefixed phraseinformal

   Said when the explanation behind something would take too long, be too complicated or be too awkward to tell now.

   Grammar: Usually appears as a reply: it's a long story. Do not add a number or article: not a long stories.

   Patterns

   • it's a long story
   • that's a long story

   Why are you carrying a goat? It's a long story.

   How did you two meet? Oh, that's a long story.

   He left the company suddenly, and it's a rather long story.

2. 2nouncountable

   A tale or written account that takes a lot of time to tell or read.

   Grammar: Ordinary adjective plus noun, so it can be plural: long stories.

   Patterns

   • tell a long story

   Grandpa told a long story about his first job.

   The novel is a long story spread over three generations.

Word forms

Common combinations

it's a long story

Why are you late? It's a long story.

a really long story

It's a really long story, but it ended well.

make a long story short

To make a long story short, we missed the train.

tell a long story

He loves to tell a long story at dinner.

Synonyms and how they differ

complicated

Complicated is a general adjective, whereas it's a long story is a polite way of declining to explain right now.

saga

Saga names an extended tale with many events, and it often sounds more dramatic than a casual long story.

none of your business

This is a blunt refusal to explain, while it's a long story sounds friendly even when you do not want to share.

Opposites

Word family

story noun

an account of events

storyteller noun

someone who tells stories

long adjective

lasting a lot of time

Commonly confused: long story or long story short?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “long story”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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