Meanings
- colloquialdatedidiomaticI do not believe what you said.
Synonyms: tell it to the judge, tell it to the marines
Synonyms & antonyms
phraseI do not believe what you said.
Origin
"Tell it to Sweeney! (The Stuyvesants will understand.)” was an advertisement for the New York (NY) Daily News, first appearing in August 1922. The Daily News positioned itself as the newspaper of the average working man—such as the Irish “Sweeney.” The name “Stuyvesant” was used to represent blue bloods. Thus, if you advertise in the Daily News and reach the Sweeneys of New York City, the Stuyvesants will also get the message.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
tell it to Sweeney. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tell%20it%20to%20Sweeney
“tell it to Sweeney.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tell%20it%20to%20Sweeney. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tell it to Sweeney,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tell%20it%20to%20Sweeney.
Source: tell it to Sweeney on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.