α. 1500s– winter tale.
β. 1500s– winter's tale.
winter's talen.
/ˌwɪntəz ˈteɪl/, U.S. /ˌwɪn(t)ərz ˈteɪl/ A tale of a kind read or told for entertainment during the winter; a fantastic, unrealistic, or unlikely story.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > disregard for truth, falsehood > fabrication of statement or story > a false or foolish tale > [noun]
spellc888
triflea1250
talea1325
vanity1340
a tale of waltrot1377
fablec1384
niflec1395
triflerya1400
truffc1430
jest1488
winter's talec1555
winter story1646
galley-packet1786
galley-yarn1874
cuffer1887
ploda1903
scuttlebutt yarn1918
just-so story1922
c1555 Short Descr. Antichrist f. 7 According to olde wiues fables and winter tales.
1594 C. Marlowe & T. Nashe Dido iii. sig. D3v Who would not vndergoe all kind of toyle, To be well stor'd with such a winters tale?
1637 C. Dow Answer to H. Burton 120 b Such winter tales as it were too great a mispence of time and words to refute them.
1685 J. Turner Boaz & Ruth 254 The monstrous, absurd and ridiculous Winter tales which the Rabbins tell us are enough to blast the credit of their tradition.
1754 C. Denis Select Fables Pref. sig. A8 One who treated the divine Homer like an old gossip emptying her budget of winter's tales in the chimney corner.
1771 J. Freeth Polit. Songster 52 Summer Sports and Winter Tales, Every Heart with Joy regales.
1820 E. Wood Vision 47 No cunning devised fable this, no!—No ‘Winter Tales’ for the fire side amusement!
1899 Indiana State Jrnl. (Indianapolis) 16 Aug. 6/2 Soon the tragedy of Dan Sherril was stored away for future winter tales.
1922 Times 14/2 29 June Winter's Tales will go on, because there will always be winter evenings.
2013 Guardian (Nexis) 24 Dec. 29 Last year I decided that every Christmas I would tell a winter's tale or two.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2017; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
<
n.c1555