not hold water
(redirected from that don't hold water)not hold water
To not be or not appear to be true, verifiable, or able to be supported by facts. The image is of a container with holes in it—a metaphor for a position or argument containing "holes" (errors or gaps in reasoning). I'm afraid that excuse just doesn't hold water with me—you still should have had plenty of time to complete the assignment and print it. That old claim has been debunked so many time that it just does not hold water any more.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
not hold water
1. Lit. [of a container] not able to contain water without leaking. This old wading pool won't hold water any longer.
2. Fig. not able to be proved; not correct or true. Jack's story won't hold water. It sounds too unlikely. The police's theory will not hold water. The suspect has an ironclad alibi.
won't hold water
to be inadequate, insubstantial, or ill-conceived. Sorry, your ideas won't hold water. Nice try, though. The prosecution's case wouldn't hold water, so the defendant was released.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
not hold water
COMMON If a theory or an argument does not hold water, you can prove that it is wrong. That explanation does not hold water, according to senior intelligence sources. It doesn't really matter that not all of the film's arguments hold water. Note: You can also say that a theory or an argument holds water, meaning that it is true or right. If these arguments hold water, then we may have to rethink our policy.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012