"tale of woe" meaning in English

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "tales of woe",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "tales of woe"
      },
      "expansion": "tale of woe (plural tales of woe)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2008, Wally Lamb, The Hour I First Believed, Ch.2, at p.35",
          "text": "Ivy sat there for a moment, gathering herself. \"Decent and indecent,\" she said. \"I guess it makes life easier when you can put kids in two camps and write off half of them.\" She reached into her big canvas bag. \"Almost forgot. Mr Quirk wanted refreshments.\" We passed the Mint Milanos around the conference table and told our tales of woe."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A narrative or description of one's problems or misfortunes."
      ],
      "id": "en-tale_of_woe-en-noun-DnaCBbEB",
      "links": [
        [
          "narrative",
          "narrative"
        ],
        [
          "description",
          "description"
        ],
        [
          "problem",
          "problem"
        ],
        [
          "misfortune",
          "misfortune"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "sob story"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "tale of woe"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "tales of woe",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "tales of woe"
      },
      "expansion": "tale of woe (plural tales of woe)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "sob story"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English countable nouns",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English nouns",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2008, Wally Lamb, The Hour I First Believed, Ch.2, at p.35",
          "text": "Ivy sat there for a moment, gathering herself. \"Decent and indecent,\" she said. \"I guess it makes life easier when you can put kids in two camps and write off half of them.\" She reached into her big canvas bag. \"Almost forgot. Mr Quirk wanted refreshments.\" We passed the Mint Milanos around the conference table and told our tales of woe."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A narrative or description of one's problems or misfortunes."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "narrative",
          "narrative"
        ],
        [
          "description",
          "description"
        ],
        [
          "problem",
          "problem"
        ],
        [
          "misfortune",
          "misfortune"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "tale of woe"
}