won't wash

Idioms

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.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But if he’s shifting his AI efforts out of Tesla, that obviously won’t wash.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2024

Trying to dress it up as who has the moral high ground just won’t wash.

From Slate • Sep. 3, 2020

That won't wash so far as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is concerned.

From BBC • Aug. 29, 2019

The old saw that horse people really love their animals won’t wash anymore.

From Washington Post • May 5, 2019

She won’t wash her hair or cut her nails on Friday.

From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023