fairy story
1
1.4
- noun
- /ˈfɛri ˈstɔri/
- Baby Talk
:
cuento de hadas
- The enchanted forest in the fairy story was filled with magical creatures and hidden treasures.
And finally these legends dwindling down became folk tales, merchant fairy stories, nurture tales.
- And finally these legends dwindling down became folk tales, merchant fairy stories, nurture tales.
- So if it's confined to children, then the value of fairy stories is really confined to those of that age.
- And she talks about Tolkien quite a lot in, in that it's kind of springboarding off of Tolkien's own on fairy stories.
Examples
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As a child, I always loved listening to fairy stories about brave knights and beautiful princesses.
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I said, 'That's a fairy story.'
Fiction book (2000) -
Oh, fairy stories at breakfast.
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So if it's confined to children, then the value of fairy stories is really confined to those of that age.
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In other seasons, the lake and a footbridge were visible in the distance, appearing unexpectedly like some magical place in a fairy story.
Fiction book (2001) -
I remembered a fairy story by Oscar Wilde in which Narcissus looks into his pool and asks the water what it thinks of him; and the water answers that it sees its own reflection in his eyes.
Academic text (2007) -
She sat in the old family rocking chair on the patio, took Jazz in her lap, and told her ancient folk tales and fairy stories for hours.
Fiction book (1990) -
Perhaps their grandfather has been monstrously transformed, as by a wicked witch in a fairy story, into a toad or a steaming puddle.
Fiction book (1990) -
Each fairy story usually ends with a moral lesson, teaching children about kindness and bravery.
Synonyms
61
1.0
A traditional story for children with magic and strange beings
19
2.1
A children's story about magic and imaginary places
10
4.9
A false story told to trick or impress people
8
3.4
A traditional story told by people in a community that often teaches a lesson
6
2.7
An old story that people tell to each other in a community
How Magical
Surface Forms
Morphology
The components 'fairy' (mythical, unreal) and 'story' (narrative) combine to signal a tale that is fantastical or not realistic, so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer that the phrase denotes something implausible. However, the specific pragmatic sense—used as an excuse or to deceive—is a metaphorical/idiomatic extension beyond the literal combination, so full meaning may not be predictable without exposure.
Etymology
Fairy story comes from old tales about fairies, small magical beings that people told children for fun. So fairy story means a tale full of magic and wonder.