won't wash

1. 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

And Democrats have inflicted this same wound on themselves so many times by following this Republican playbook that the blood won’t wash off.

From Los Angeles Times

Mere shrugs from Democrats that they’re in the minority won’t wash.

From Salon

“If the leaves are still green and the plant looks healthy, the produce should be fine,” even if it’s dusted with ash, “but if it’s scorched, it could contain metals that won’t wash off,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

This cynical attempt to kick the issue into the long grass won't wash with voters.

From BBC

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

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• extraordinary 
• implausible 
• impossible 
• improbable 
• incredible 
• mind-boggling 
• strange 
• unbelievable 
• unheard-of 
• unimaginable 
• unthinkable