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Glite Dictionary
to call it a crock

to call it a crock

9.5
To say that an idea is nonsense or not true
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : desestimar
  • When Clare tossed the book on my bed, she called it a "crock."

Examples

  • When I heard his outlandish theory, I couldn't help but call it a crock.

  • Even though many people loved the show, I called it a crock because the plot made no sense.

  • He was quick to call her explanation a crock after hearing the facts.

Synonyms

to discredit
vsto call it a crock
16 5.6

To say that something is not true or trustworthy

is an informal way to dismiss something as nonsense rather than judge formally
to pooh-pooh
vsto call it a crock
5 9.5

To treat an idea or opinion as unimportant and not worth taking seriously

focuses on calling something false or nonsense rather than merely unimportant

Antonyms

to believe
∞ 1.0

Accept that something is true or trust a person

to validate
  • Formal
87 3.9

To make something officially acceptable by showing proof

How Dismissive

to write off
23 4.8
to dismiss
332 3.0
to call it a crock
  • Informal
9.5

Surface Forms

call it a crock infinitive
called it a crock past
called it a crock past participle
calling it a crock present participle
calls it a crock third person singular

Morphology

call + it + a + crock

Given the constituent meanings ('call' = designate, 'crock' = an obviously false or absurd assertion), the phrase literally means to label something as nonsense; the structure 'call it a ___' is a standard, compositional naming pattern. This direct compositionality and cross-linguistically common pattern make the meaning immediately derivable for a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.

Etymology

The idiom _call it a crock_ may come from the old word crock, meaning a simple clay pot that people used to store things and sometimes rubbish. Saying something is 'a crock' is like saying it is as useless as a broken or dirty pot, so the phrase came to mean 'to dismiss as nonsense'.