have a familiar ring

have a familiar ring (to it)

Fig. [for a story or an explanation] to sound familiar. Your excuse has a familiar ring. Have you done this before? This term paper has a familiar ring to it. I think it has been copied.

See also: familiar, have, ring

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have a familiar ring (to it)

if something has a familiar ring, you believe that you have heard it before I thought that name had a familiar ring. I went to school with that girl.

See also: familiar, have, ring

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have a familiar ring (to it)

to seem as if you have heard it or experienced it before Passing notes to friends in class may have a familiar ring to it, but these days students use text messages on their phones to send forbidden messages.

Related vocabulary: ring a bell

See also: familiar, have, ring