The origin of the phrase ‘cock and bull’ story, meaning a fanciful and unbelievable tale, comes from the coaching history of Milton Keynes based in Stony Stratford. Two rival public houses called ‘Cock’ and ‘Bull’ in Stony Stratford were the sites of exaggerated tales and the rivalry was such that ‘cock and bull’ story became used a phrase to describe exaggerated claims.
We hear these outlandish imaginings among some compers. The very tallest of tales range from entering 1,000 competitions per day for 10 years and never winning a thing – to people professing to untenably high success rates.
I call these the Comp and Bull stories.
It’s not for us to cast aspersions, but on hearing them – making our ‘Comp and Bull Klaxon’ fire on all cylinders, smashing glasses that would make an operatic sopranos quiver in her bustier! No matter how misleading they are, or how funny, we have to ensure we don’t absorb these stories.
Why do they say it?
There are several reasons why people exaggerate – a lot of the time, these tall tales are simple exaggerations; it may feel like that are entering 1000 competitions a week – but 200 doesn’t sound as good! Conversely, someone who exaggerates success could be simply doing it to make them feel great, or to spur people into comping. Both parties are probably not delusional and don’t believe their stories anymore than you do.
Every story – whether exaggerated or downplayed, is just that – a story; a way to make a meaning of what they are doing. Taking each ‘story’ literally though -could cost you a pretty penny. True winner’s stories are most valuable. They make you realise that people do win these competitions, and that the next winner could be you!
Why should we keep away from storytellers?
There are several reasons. The first reason is that it simply wastes time. If we see ‘cock and bull’ we can hear others accepting these stories as fact, and we have an urge to ‘call-them-out’ on it or question them in order to expose their inaccuracy. However, in the meantime – we could have entered 10 prize draws and missed out on our own wonderful winner’s story!
The second and most important reason is that we absorb it. While we comp, we ruminate about how we could possibly reach their lofty-heights and begin to lose sight of our own enjoyment of our own hobby and our own story. We think we are listening to them in a tongue-in-cheek fashion but it’s rarely true. In all too many instances, we take their stories on board and then berate ourselves for not entering enough or not winning the best prizes.
The best way to deal with this is to label it as a ‘Comp and Bull’ story and leave it alone. Of course, to counteract their story – you could always enter into the spirit of competition and offer your own wild exaggeration and choose to believe that instead!
What would be YOUR ‘Comp and Bull’ Story? Do you think you can leave ‘Comp and Bull’ stories alone or do you find yourself getting hot and bothered about them? Do let us know the funniest ones you have ever heard in the comments.