hold (one's) water

(redirected from hold their water)

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hold (one's) water

To be calm or patient; to stop making pressing demands, requests, or solicitations. Janet needs to hold her water and just let the committee do its job. You kids hold your water back there or I swear I'll turn this car right around!

See also: hold, water

hold water

Stand up to critical examination, be sound and valid, as in This argument just won't hold water, or Her reasons for quitting don't hold water. This metaphoric expression alludes to a container that can hold water without leaking. [c. 1600]

See also: hold, water

hold water

(of a statement, theory, or line of reasoning) appear to be valid, sound, or reasonable.

See also: hold, water

hold ˈwater

(informal) (of a theory, etc.) remain true even when examined closely: Your argument just doesn’t hold water.

If a container holds water, no water escapes.

See also: hold, water

hold water

tv. [for an idea, plan, etc.] to survive evaluation or scrutiny. Nothing you’ve said so far holds water.

See also: hold, water

hold water

To stand up to critical examination: Your explanation doesn't hold water.

See also: hold, water

References in periodicals archive ?

Wireless carriers and chipmakers will be making news at this week's International CES show in Las Vegas, and although many phone-makers are expected to hold their water until upcoming conferences, vendors selling peripheral smartphones gadgets will unveil such devices as a slow cooker powered by a mobile application and a bracelet that tracks the wearer's exposure to the sun.

Smartphone gadget-makers aim to make a splash in Las Vegas

In work over cities on three continents, cloud physicist Daniel Rosenfeld and his colleagues found that clouds polluted with industrial emissions tend to hold their water rather than releasing it as rain (SN: 3/11/00, p.