Synonyms

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

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won't wash

If the washing machine won’t wash or the screen door won’t seamlessly slide, does it make sense to call a professional?

From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2020

I worry that if people put on masks, then they’ll think, OK, I’m protected, and they won’t wash their hands as vigorously or be careful not to touch their faces.

From Slate ● Apr. 1, 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

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

won't wash

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