A
tall tale is a story with unbelievable elements, related as if it were true and factual. Some stories such as these are
exaggerations of actual events, for example ("the fish that got away") such as, "That fish was so big, why I tell ya', it nearly sank the boat when I pulled it in!" Other tall tales are completely fictional tales set in a familiar setting, such as the
European countryside, the
American frontier, the Canadian Northwest, or the beginning of the
Industrial Revolution.