Crossword clues for megillah
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
"long, tedious, complicated story," 1957, from Yiddish (as in a gantse Megillah "a whole megillah"), literally "roll, scroll," collective name of the five Old Testament books appointed to be read on certain feast days, from Hebrew meghillah, from galal "he rolled, unfolded." The slang use is in reference to the length of the text.
Wiktionary
Etymology 1 n. 1 (context Judaism English) any of the Five Scrolls of the Hebrew Scriptures (Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, and Esther) 2 (context Judaism specifically English) the Book of Esther Etymology 2
n. Any long, boring story.
WordNet
n. (Yiddish) a long boring tediously detailed account; "he insisted on giving us the whole megillah"
(Judaism) the scroll of parchment that contains the biblical story of Esther; traditionally read in synagogues to celebrate Purim
[also: megilloth (pl)]
Wikipedia
Megillah is the tenth Tractate of Mishnah in the Order Moed. It and its Gemara deal with the laws of Purim and offers exegetical understandings to the Book of Esther. It also includes laws concerning the public reading of the Torah and other communal synagogue practices. There is also a segment in the first chapter which details certain miscellaneous laws. A megillah is a finely detailed account or book but the term by itself commonly refers to the Book of Esther.
Megillah (, scroll) may refer to:
Usage examples of "megillah".
She sat with her family, listening to the reading of the Megillah, the ancient scroll telling of the girl who hid her identity when she became a queen, but found the courage to reveal the truth and unmask a villain when her people were threatened.
One of them, the Book of Esther, is the original whole megillah in the slang sense.