story

story
    n 1: a message that tells the particulars of an act or
         occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or
         drama or cinema or as a radio or television program; "his
         narrative was interesting"; "Disney's stories entertain
         adults as well as children" [syn: {narrative}, {narration},
         {story}, {tale}]
    2: a piece of fiction that narrates a chain of related events;
       "he writes stories for the magazines"
    3: a structure consisting of a room or set of rooms at a single
       position along a vertical scale; "what level is the office
       on?" [syn: {floor}, {level}, {storey}, {story}]
    4: a record or narrative description of past events; "a history
       of France"; "he gave an inaccurate account of the plot to
       kill the president"; "the story of exposure to lead" [syn:
       {history}, {account}, {chronicle}, {story}]
    5: a short account of the news; "the report of his speech"; "the
       story was on the 11 o'clock news"; "the account of his speech
       that was given on the evening news made the governor furious"
       [syn: {report}, {news report}, {story}, {account}, {write
       up}]
    6: a trivial lie; "he told a fib about eating his spinach"; "how
       can I stop my child from telling stories?" [syn: {fib},
       {story}, {tale}, {tarradiddle}, {taradiddle}]
    

Story \Sto"ry\, n. [OE. storie, OF. estoire, F. histoire, fr. L.
   historia. See {History}.]
   1. A narration or recital of that which has occurred; a
      description of past events; a history; a statement; a
      record.
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            One malcontent who did indeed get a name in story.
                                                  --Barrow.
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            Venice, with its unique city and its Impressive
            story.                                --Ed. Rev.
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            The four great monarchies make the subject of
            ancient story.                        --Sir W.
                                                  Temple.
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   2. The relation of an incident or minor event; a short
      narrative; a tale; especially, a fictitious narrative less
      elaborate than a novel; a short romance. --Addison.
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   3. A euphemism or child's word for "a lie;" a fib; as, to
      tell a story. [Colloq.]
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Story \Sto"ry\, n.; pl. {Stories}. [OF. estor['e], estor['e]e,
   built, erected, p. p. of estorer to build, restore, to store.
   See {Store}, v. t.]
   A set of rooms on the same floor or level; a floor, or the
   space between two floors. Also, a horizontal division of a
   building's exterior considered architecturally, which need
   not correspond exactly with the stories within. [Written also
   {storey}.]
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   Note: A story comprehends the distance from one floor to
         another; as, a story of nine or ten feet elevation. The
         spaces between floors are numbered in order, from below
         upward; as, the lower, second, or third story; a house
         of one story, of two stories, of five stories.
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   {Story post} (Arch.), a vertical post used to support a floor
      or superincumbent wall.
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Story \Sto"ry\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Storied}; p. pr. & vb. n.
   {Storying}.]
   To tell in historical relation; to make the subject of a
   story; to narrate or describe in story.
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         How worthy he is I will leave to appear hereafter,
         rather than story him in his own hearing. --Shak.
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         It is storied of the brazen colossus in Rhodes, that it
         was seventy cubits high.                 --Bp. Wilkins.
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STORY, n.  A narrative, commonly untrue.  The truth of the stories
here following has, however, not been successfully impeached.

    One evening Mr. Rudolph Block, of New York, found himself seated
at dinner alongside Mr. Percival Pollard, the distinguished critic.
    "Mr. Pollard," said he, "my book, _The Biography of a Dead Cow_,
is published anonymously, but you can hardly be ignorant of its
authorship.  Yet in reviewing it you speak of it as the work of the
Idiot of the Century.  Do you think that fair criticism?"
    "I am very sorry, sir," replied the critic, amiably, "but it did
not occur to me that you really might not wish the public to know who
wrote it."

    Mr. W.C. Morrow, who used to live in San Jose, California, was
addicted to writing ghost stories which made the reader feel as if a
stream of lizards, fresh from the ice, were streaking it up his back
and hiding in his hair.  San Jose was at that time believed to be
haunted by the visible spirit of a noted bandit named Vasquez, who had
been hanged there.  The town was not very well lighted, and it is
putting it mildly to say that San Jose was reluctant to be out o'
nights.  One particularly dark night two gentlemen were abroad in the
loneliest spot within the city limits, talking loudly to keep up their
courage, when they came upon Mr. J.J. Owen, a well-known journalist.
    "Why, Owen," said one, "what brings you here on such a night as
this?  You told me that this is one of Vasquez' favorite haunts!  And
you are a believer.  Aren't you afraid to be out?"
    "My dear fellow," the journalist replied with a drear autumnal
cadence in his speech, like the moan of a leaf-laden wind, "I am
afraid to be in.  I have one of Will Morrow's stories in my pocket and
I don't dare to go where there is light enough to read it."

    Rear-Admiral Schley and Representative Charles F. Joy were
standing near the Peace Monument, in Washington, discussing the
question, Is success a failure?  Mr. Joy suddenly broke off in the
middle of an eloquent sentence, exclaiming:  "Hello!  I've heard that
band before.  Santlemann's, I think."
    "I don't hear any band," said Schley.
    "Come to think, I don't either," said Joy; "but I see General
Miles coming down the avenue, and that pageant always affects me in
the same way as a brass band.  One has to scrutinize one's impressions
pretty closely, or one will mistake their origin."
    While the Admiral was digesting this hasty meal of philosophy
General Miles passed in review, a spectacle of impressive dignity. 
When the tail of the seeming procession had passed and the two
observers had recovered from the transient blindness caused by its
effulgence --
    "He seems to be enjoying himself," said the Admiral.
    "There is nothing," assented Joy, thoughtfully, "that he enjoys
one-half so well."

    The illustrious statesman, Champ Clark, once lived about a mile
from the village of Jebigue, in Missouri.  One day he rode into town
on a favorite mule, and, hitching the beast on the sunny side of a
street, in front of a saloon, he went inside in his character of
teetotaler, to apprise the barkeeper that wine is a mocker.  It was a
dreadfully hot day.  Pretty soon a neighbor came in and seeing Clark,
said:
    "Champ, it is not right to leave that mule out there in the sun. 
He'll roast, sure! -- he was smoking as I passed him."
    "O, he's all right," said Clark, lightly; "he's an inveterate
smoker."
    The neighbor took a lemonade, but shook his head and repeated that
it was not right.
    He was a conspirator.  There had been a fire the night before:  a
stable just around the corner had burned and a number of horses had
put on their immortality, among them a young colt, which was roasted
to a rich nut-brown.  Some of the boys had turned Mr. Clark's mule
loose and substituted the mortal part of the colt.  Presently another
man entered the saloon.
    "For mercy's sake!" he said, taking it with sugar, "do remove that
mule, barkeeper:  it smells."
    "Yes," interposed Clark, "that animal has the best nose in
Missouri.  But if he doesn't mind, you shouldn't."
    In the course of human events Mr. Clark went out, and there,
apparently, lay the incinerated and shrunken remains of his charger.
The boys idd not have any fun out of Mr. Clarke, who looked at the
body and, with the non-committal expression to which he owes so much
of his political preferment, went away.  But walking home late that
night he saw his mule standing silent and solemn by the wayside in the
misty moonlight.  Mentioning the name of Helen Blazes with uncommon
emphasis, Mr. Clark took the back track as hard as ever he could hook
it, and passed the night in town.

    General H.H. Wotherspoon, president of the Army War College, has a
pet rib-nosed baboon, an animal of uncommon intelligence but
imperfectly beautiful.  Returning to his apartment one evening, the
General was surprised and pained to find Adam (for so the creature is
named, the general being a Darwinian) sitting up for him and wearing
his master's best uniform coat, epaulettes and all.
    "You confounded remote ancestor!" thundered the great strategist,
"what do you mean by being out of bed after naps? -- and with my coat
on!"
    Adam rose and with a reproachful look got down on all fours in the
manner of his kind and, scuffling across the room to a table, returned
with a visiting-card:  General Barry had called and, judging by an
empty champagne bottle and several cigar-stumps, had been hospitably
entertained while waiting.  The general apologized to his faithful
progenitor and retired.  The next day he met General Barry, who said:
    "Spoon, old man, when leaving you last evening I forgot to ask you
about those excellent cigars.  Where did you get them?"
    General Wotherspoon did not deign to reply, but walked away.
    "Pardon me, please," said Barry, moving after him; "I was joking
of course.  Why, I knew it was not you before I had been in the room
fifteen minutes."
    

Story, AR
  Zip code(s): 71970
Story, WY
  Zip code(s): 82842
    

Story, WY -- U.S. Census Designated Place in Wyoming
   Population (2000):    887
   Housing Units (2000): 667
   Land area (2000):     13.735136 sq. miles (35.573837 sq. km)
   Water area (2000):    0.004788 sq. miles (0.012400 sq. km)
   Total area (2000):    13.739924 sq. miles (35.586237 sq. km)
   FIPS code:            73615
   Located within:       Wyoming (WY), FIPS 56
   Location:             44.576978 N, 106.908109 W
   ZIP Codes (1990):     82842
   Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
   Headwords:
    Story, WY
    Story
    

Story -- U.S. County in Iowa
   Population (2000):    79981
   Housing Units (2000): 30630
   Land area (2000):     572.860085 sq. miles (1483.700745 sq. km)
   Water area (2000):    0.837251 sq. miles (2.168471 sq. km)
   Total area (2000):    573.697336 sq. miles (1485.869216 sq. km)
   Located within:       Iowa (IA), FIPS 19
   Location:             42.024190 N, 93.528718 W
   Headwords:
    Story
    Story, IA
    Story County
    Story County, IA
    

252 Moby Thesaurus words for "story":
      Clio, Muse of history, account, action, adventures, alibi,
      allegation, allegory, anagnorisis, anecdotage, anecdote, angle,
      annals, architectonics, architecture, argument, article, assertion,
      atmosphere, autobiography, back-fence gossip, background, band,
      beat, bed, bedding, belly laugh, belt, biographical sketch,
      biography, blague, blue story, book, budget of news, case history,
      catastrophe, characterization, chitchat, chronicle, chronicles,
      chronology, clerestory, cock-and-bull story, color, complication,
      confabulation, confessions, contention, continuity, contrivance,
      copy, couche, course, curriculum vitae, deck, denouement,
      description, design, detective story, development, device, diary,
      dirty joke, dirty story, dispatch, double entendre, entresol, epic,
      episode, epos, ethnic joke, exaggeration, exclusive, excuse,
      experiences, fable, fabliau, fabrication, facts, fairy, fairy tale,
      falling action, falsehood, falsity, farfetched story, farrago,
      feature, fib, fiction, first floor, fish story, flam, flat,
      flimflam, floor, folktale, fortunes, fun, funny story, gag,
      gallery, gest, ghost story, gimmick, good one, good story, gossip,
      gossiping, gossipmongering, gossipry, ground floor,
      groundless rumor, hagiography, hagiology, half-truth,
      historiography, history, howler, idle talk, incident, information,
      item, jape, jest, jestbook, joke, journal, laugh, layer, ledge,
      legal fiction, legend, level, lie, life, life and letters,
      life story, line, little white lie, local color, martyrology,
      measures, memoir, memoirs, memorabilia, memorial, memorials,
      mendacity, mezzanine, mezzanine floor, mood, motif, movement,
      mystery, myth, mythos, narration, narrative, necrology, news,
      news item, newsmongering, obituary, overlayer, overstory, panic,
      parable, peripeteia, photobiography, piece, piece of gossip,
      pious fiction, plan, play, plot, point, prevarication, profile,
      recital, recognition, record, recounting, release, report,
      representation, resume, rez-de-chaussee, rib tickler, riot,
      rising action, romance, saga, scenario, scheme, scoop, scream,
      seam, secondary plot, shelf, sick joke, sidesplitter, sight gag,
      slant, slight stretching, sport, spot news, stage, statement, step,
      stratum, street floor, structure, subject, subplot, substratum,
      summary, superstratum, switch, tale, talebearing, taletelling,
      talk, tall story, tall tale, taradiddle, tattle, testimony,
      thematic development, theme, theory of history, thickness,
      thriller, tidings, tier, tittle-tattle, tone, topic, topsoil,
      trumped-up story, twist, underlayer, understory, understratum,
      untruth, version, visual joke, wheeze, white lie, whodunit, wow,
      yarn, zone