tell it to the marines

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation Jump to search

English

[edit]
1918 song

Etymology

[edit]

Unknown, with many apocryphal suggestions.[1]

Pronunciation

[edit]

Phrase

[edit]

tell it to the marines

  1. (idiomatic, colloquial) I do not believe what you said.
    • 1829, Douglas Jerrold, Act I, Scene ?:
      William. No palaver! tell it to the marines. What, tacking and double tacking! Come to what you want to say at once.
    • 1868 February, Caroline M. Sawyer, “The Jester of Durano; Or, The Times of Old”, in The Ladies’ Repository, a Universalist Monthly Magazine for the Home Circle, volume XXXIX, Boston, Mass.: The Universalist Publishing House, page 128:
      I don’t believe the story you have been telling me, either, and think it far more likely that you are hiding from justice on account of some devil’s work you have been engaged in. Bah! Tell your story to the marines!

Synonyms

[edit]
[edit]

Translations

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ “Etymology of 'tell it to the marines'”, in Royal Museums Greenwich[1], 2006 June 2 (last accessed), archived from the original on 4 September 2005