sob story: Meaning and Definition of

sob' sto"ry

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. an excessively sentimental human-interest story.
  2. an alibi or excuse, esp. one designed to arouse sympathy: Instead of a raise, the boss gave us another sob story about her expenses.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.