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tall tales and outrigHt lies Tall tales “weigh the delicate balance between truth and untruth in favor of untruth”1 and rely on outrageous exaggeration and lying for comic effect.2 In this section, you’ll find stories about real people—Daniel Boone, Otis Ayers, Ivan Petrovich Pavlov, and my four brothers. You’ll find stories about real events—the Meade County Fair, Halloween, and presidential elections. You’ll find stories that take place in our real world—in the woods, on the farm. Most importantly, for tall tales, you’ll find stories with truth stretched to impossibility. And if after reading them you believe them, “go stand on your right eyebrow.”3 ...

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