During a talk, I heard the expression "this is a tall question".
May someone explain what does it mean?
English Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts. It only takes a minute to sign up.
Sign up to join this communityDuring a talk, I heard the expression "this is a tall question".
May someone explain what does it mean?
See the third definition of tall (adjective) on Merriam-Webster:
large or formidable in amount, extent, or degree
A tall question, then, is one that is difficult to address, often because the answer requires context or is multi-faceted in the mind of the answerer. See the following excerpt from Only Henrietta by Lela Horn Richards (emphasis mine):
"Do you go to Harvard?"
"I surely do."
"How splendid! What are you going to be?"
A roguish smile met Henrietta's eyes.
"Well, now, that's a tall question. There are three things I'd like to train for, but my old man — the governor, you know, isn't crazy about any of them."
A tall question may also have a simple, straightforward answer, though the answer imposes mental weight on the answerer due to conflict or ambivalence.
One of the uses of tall is
tall: adjective
used to describe an organization with many levels of jobs between top management and the workers at the bottom.
Similarly, a tall order is one with many items in the list. Consequently, when held up it makes a tall piece of paper.
By extension of meaning, a tall question is one requiring many levels or parts to its answer.