the stuff of legend

idiomatic phrase

variants or less commonly the stuff of legends

1

: someone or something that is told about in legend

Dragons are still the stuff of legend. But in Slovenia, a bizarre, cave-dwelling … salamander serves as a worthy, real-life stand-in.

—Olivia Lowenberg

2

: someone or something that is very famous or memorable

Earlier that summer, Saito faced off with Tanaka in Japan's national high school championships, which are at least the equivalent of March Madness in the United States. Their battles were the stuff of legend, but Saito's team won and he struck out Tanaka for the final out of the deciding game.

—Anthony Rieber

For those of us who ran around in it, the blizzard of '78 was the stuff of legend, an unrelenting force of nature that smacked Boston upside the head for about a week.

—Bob Flaherty

The contest between ruling authorities and peasants over whether or not martyrs would be commemorated could itself become the stuff of legends.

—Anne Walthall

Examples of the stuff of legend in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Biden’s tendency to say the wrong thing at precisely the wrong time has been the stuff of legend for much of his career. —Michael Collins, USA TODAY, 12 July 2024

It was destroyed in a 2011 tsunami that struck the property, and, until 2023, remained the stuff of legends. —Hannah Selinger, Travel + Leisure, 9 July 2024

Winiarski’s intellectual thirst and genteel nature were the stuff of legend, as was his commitment to the protection of Napa Valley from encroaching suburban sprawl. —David Rosoff, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2024

The children’s experience became the stuff of legends when posters got ahold of the AI script, disappointing decor, and original character The Unknown, who popped out from behind a mirror and disturbed kids and adults alike. —Bethy Squires, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1919, in the meaning defined at sense 1