E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Spun Out.
As “the tale was spun out”—that is, prolonged to a disproportionate length. It is a Latin phrase, and the allusion is to the operation of spinning and weaving. Cicero says, “Tenu’o deducta poemata filo”—that is, poems spun out to a fine thread.
