A concoction is a mixture of various ingredients, often unusual or experimental. It can also mean an invented story or plan, especially one that is exaggerated or not entirely true.
From Latin 'concoctiō', from 'concoquere' ('to cook together, digest'). English kept both the idea of a physical mixture and a mentally 'cooked up' invention.
A 'concoction' feels a bit wild—more like a potion than a simple recipe. When someone tells a suspicious tale, calling it a 'concoction' hints that they’ve mixed truth and fiction into one strange brew.
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