Dictionary Home » Dictionary Definitions » shaggy dog (story)

shaggy dog (story)

a long, rambling joke, typically involving ludicrously unreal or irrational behavior and usually having an irrelevant conclusion

Origin: from such an anecdote involving a shaggy dog

See shaggy dog (story) in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun
Informal
A long, drawn-out anecdote ending with an absurd or anticlimactic punch line.

Learn more about shaggy dog (story)

link/cite print suggestion box