something won't/doesn't wash
(redirected from something doesn't wash)does not wash
Will not be accepted or believed. That kind of excuse may have worked in high school, but it doesn't wash with me. The deadline for the paper is tomorrow, no extensions. He may be able to skirt the issue in some regions, but that approach does not wash in these parts—these people want straight answers.
will not wash
Will not be accepted or believed as true. That kind of excuse may have worked in high school, but it will not wash with me. The deadline for the paper is tomorrow, no extensions. He may be able to skirt the issue in some regions, but that approach won't wash in these parts—these people want straight answers.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
won't wash
Will not stand up to examination, is unconvincing, will not work, as in That excuse about your sick aunt just won't wash. This expression originally alluded to a fabric that would not stand up to washing but by the late 1800s was used figuratively for other kinds of failure.
See also: wash
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
something won't wash
If an explanation or idea won't wash, it will not be believed or accepted. Mr Aitken might try some such explanation if and when he returns. It won't wash. It won't wash to claim that what we eat is purely a matter of personal responsibility.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
won't wash
will not be believed or accepted. informal 1998 New Scientist In the end, however, this argument won't wash.
See also: wash
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
something won’t/doesn’t ˈwash (with somebody)
used to say that somebody’s explanation, excuse, etc. is not valid or that you/somebody else will not accept it: That excuse simply won’t wash with me.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017