you don't say

Idioms  

1. How surprising, is that true? Also, I find that hard to believe. For example, I've been working on this project for two years.—You don't say, or The man who runs this soup kitchen is a real saint.—You don't say! This expression, a shortening of you don't say so, may be used straightforwardly or ironically. [Late 1800s]

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Example Sentences

And I didn't want Gus to be tarred with any of that, so at first you don't say anything and then I thought, I have to tell his friends and I have to tell people.

From BBC • Feb. 12, 2026

“Some of the things he says, it’s all right to say it at a bar with your buddies, but you don’t say that stuff out loud,” said Schofield, a 63-year-old chemical salesman.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 3, 2024

And, while you don’t say what your mom’s perspective is, I’m curious whether she’s contributing to the emotional intensity or pointing out a pattern of Lily being treated differently.

From Slate • Jan. 24, 2023

When interviewed in mid-August, Patton was hesitant to even talk about how well they were doing, in the same way you don’t say “no hitter” before a game is over.

From Washington Post • Oct. 7, 2022

But I also know that you can lie not only by what you say but what you don’t say.

From "Shiloh" by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor