2) shaggy-dog story. The American HeritageŽ Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.
...Informal A long, drawn-out anecdote ending with an absurd or anticlimactic punch line....

3) precede. The American HeritageŽ Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.
...in front of; go in advance of. 4. To preface; introduce: preceded her lecture with a funny anecdote. To come or go before in time, order, rank, or position. Middle...

4) story 1. The American HeritageŽ Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.
...facts of an event or group of events: The witness changed her story under questioning. b. An anecdote: came back from the trip with some good stories. c. A lie: told...

5) knowledge. The American HeritageŽ Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.
...(Elizabeth Kastor). Lore is usually applied to knowledge gained through tradition or anecdote about a particular subject: Many American folktales concern the lore...

6) hot. The American HeritageŽ Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.
...in the fashionable art of instant history, in which every episode is hotted up with an anecdote (Harper's). hot and bothered Informal In a state of agitated excitement;...