Re: Tall order

Posted by Q on August 08, 2001

In Reply to: Tall order posted by James Briggs on August 08, 2001

: I looked in the archives for a possible origin, but can find none. Why should an 'order' be 'tall', or a 'story' come to that. Any ideas?

"Tall" does not always refer to height.ie: large or great.

Main Entry: tall
Pronunciation: 'tol
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English, probably from Old English getæl quick, ready; akin to Old High German gizal quick
Date: 15th century
1)High in stature, highly exaggerated: INCREDIBLE, IMPROBABLE eg: a tall story
2)Impressively great or difficult eg: a tall order (to fill).