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11th July 2023
12:08pm BST
A third of pub goers admit to "exaggerating" tales they tell in the local with many bending the truth about how fun a night out actually was - and how often they get chatted up.
A poll of 2,000 adults, who go to the pub, found 53 per cent who have gone over the top have done so to get a laugh from their mates.
Nearly a quarter (23 per cent) have overstated how much things have set them back, and 16 per cent haven’t been totally honest about the number of former lovers they’ve had.
While 12 per cent have claimed their spicy food tolerance is more robust than it actually is.
In fact, men are more likely than women to exaggerate their tales in almost every category - and twice as likely to exaggerate their salary - except when it came to overstating how fancy their holiday hotel was.
Londoners, meanwhile, were much more likely to overstate their sporting prowess - 27 per cent vs 14 per cent nationally - or say they’d snogged a celebrity, with one in twelve Londoners claiming this.
Among all respondents, 27 per cent have been called out for exaggerating their tales, but 39 per cent of these are adamant what they were saying was totally true.
The research was commissioned by Foster’s, which has created the ‘Cock and Bull Detector’ with the help of a professional polygraph examiner, so pub goers can prove the incredible stories they tell are true.
TV personality Tom Skinner, who teamed up with the beer brand and visited the Bull Inn to test the machine for himself, said: “I’m often called out for telling stories that people think are cock and bull when in fact they’re 100 per cent true.
“I was thrilled that Foster’s have created the Cock and Bull Detector to show that I was telling the truth once and for all.”
One of the stories Tom told, which passed the Cock and Bull Detector, was: “I went to Soho with my good mate Rylan. He only stitched me up and sent over a load of beers and got the punters singing happy birthday - I was properly embarrassed.
“Funny though, I got my own back. We went out of the boozer and all these people were shouting at us, ‘I know you, you’re that geezer from the TV’. “He gives the hair flick ready for the selfies, and they pushed past him to get to me - didn’t recognise him for toffee.”
The research also found 56 per cent, of those polled, have sat through what they believed to be a tall tale in the pub.
A fifth of these raised an eyebrow after hearing about someone’s level of seniority at work, while 15 per cent questioned the legitimacy when a pub goer discussed their fitness levels.
As a result, 34 per cent wish they could witness a friend doing a lie detector test.
Inconsistencies to the story (51 per cent) is the most obvious tell-tale sign someone might be bending the truth, while another giveaway is when drinker says ‘umm’ a lot (26 per cent).
But, thanks to this scepticism, 31 per cent have refrained from telling a story because they were worried people would think it is ‘too good to be true’. Matt Saltzstein, beer brand director at Foster’s, which is giving pub goers the chance to win a £50 bar tab to share with friends, said: “We’ve all raised an eyebrow after hearing something over a beer in the pub.
“Our research shows some people are willing to exaggerate just about anything, but more often than not, it is with the intention to raise a smile or two among their mates. “However, it’s a crying shame to dismiss the elaborate cock and bull tales that are actually true.
"We think these sorts of stories are just one of the many things which make the British pub such an institution.”
The research, conducted via OnePoll, also found ‘banter’ is pub goers’ second favourite thing about their local watering hole - just being pipped to the post by the drinks.
Of the top 10 largest cities in the UK, London, Liverpool and Manchester are recognised as the hotspots for the best pub banter.
And drinkers would most like to go for a pint with Ricky Gervais, Graham Norton and Jeremy Clarkson because they believe these celebs would have the local in stitches.
Top 10 tales people exaggerate in the pub
1. How funny a night out actually was
2. How much they spent on things
3. How many partners they have had
4. How many times they got chatted up on a night out
5. How far they can run, swim or cycle
6. How fancy their holiday hotel was
7. Their cooking prowess
8. Their seniority at work
9. Their tolerance to spicy food
10. How much they earn
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