I. ˈtȯl adjective
( -er/-est )
Etymology: Middle English, ready, handsome, brave, probably from Old English getæl quick, ready; akin to Old High German gizal quick, Gothic untals disobedient, uninstructed, talzjan to instruct — more at tale
1. obsolete : brave , bold , courageous
spoke like a tall fellow that respects his reputation — Shakespeare
2. obsolete : comely of feature : handsome
3. obsolete : ready , quick , dexterous
swear to the prince thou art a tall fellow of thy hands — Shakespeare
4.
a. : high in stature : of greater than average height among others of a kind or class
was tall — about six feet in height — H.N.Fowler
the giraffe, tallest of animals
b. : of a specified stature or height
stands five feet one inch tall and weighs 97 pounds — Current Biography
5.
a. : of a considerable or great height : elevated above the ground : lofty
the shade of the tall young pines — Corey Ford
the tall clouds of deep July — C.G.Glover
command of a tall and gallant ship — S.E.Morison
a tall cavernous room — Ben Hecht
hit a tall fly to the outfield
a tall hill
climbing a tall fence
b. : of unusual length from bottom to top : long
wears tall hats to add to her height — Current Biography
a tall , cool lemonade — Ray Bradbury
unusual page sizes, including tall books — Publishers' Weekly
c. : of a distinctly higher growing variety or species of plant
two types of lima beans — dwarf and tall — New Zealand Journal of Agric.
6.
a. : large or formidable in amount, extent, or degree
think £10,000 rather a tall price — M.V.Reidy
saving anything is a tall order today — advt
got to … do some tall growing — Adult Leadership
will have some tall explaining to do — New Republic
had to do some tall riding to keep 'em together — Will James
a tall problem that has been a long time growing — H.R.Isaacs
b. : grandiloquent, high-flown, or affected in style or subject matter
indulging in tall talk about the vast mysteries of life — W.A.White
tall talk, empty talk, the stuff dreams are made of — H.G.Evarts
placing a number of tall , opaque words … betwixt your own and the reader's conception — Laurence Sterne
c. : unusual, incredible, or fanciful in conception or invention : improbable
tall tales they are … the man who shot five bears with one bullet — American Guide Series: Maine
the talk grew tall , and it only took a few makings to roll up a good story — Meridel Le Sueur
spin tall yarns about frontier life — E.S.Clifton
Synonyms: see high
II. adverb
: in a tall manner
the entrance makes you walk tall — Claudia Cassidy
renewing faith, we shall stand tall again — Isabel Tudeen
two books about fighting — rather savage persons talking tall in both — but how different in manners — O.W.Holmes †1935