Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
does Macy's tell Gimbel's?

does Macy's tell Gimbel's?

9.9
A question people use to show someone would not tell a rival or that something will not happen
  • idiom
  • Archaic
translation icon : ¿acaso Macy's le dice a Gimbel's?
  • Why would I share my secrets? Does Macy's tell Gimbel's?

Examples

  • He wanted to know our company's plans, but come on—does Macy's tell Gimbel's?

  • Whenever someone asks if I know the gossip, I just reply, "Does Macy's tell Gimbel's?"

  • "Will she reveal her secret recipe? Does Macy's tell Gimbel's?"

  • You think he will spill the beans? Does Macy's tell Gimbel's?

  • "Will she reveal her secret recipe? Does Macy's tell Gimbel's?"

  • Whenever someone asks if I know the gossip, I just reply, "Does Macy's tell Gimbel's?"

  • Why would I share my secrets? Does Macy's tell Gimbel's?

Synonyms

mum's the word
vsdoes Macy's tell Gimbel's?
  • Informal
5 8.2

Keep quiet about a secret

is an informal rhetorical comment about not telling rivals or outcomes
to untell
vsdoes Macy's tell Gimbel's?
1 9.9

To choose not to tell a fact or story

is an informal rhetorical phrase rather than a literal act of withholding

Surface Forms

does Macy's tell Gimbel's? main

Morphology

do + Macy's + tell + Gimbel's?

Although the words 'does' and 'tell' are literal, the rhetorical meaning ('I wouldn't reveal that to a rival' or 'that won't happen') depends on cultural knowledge of Macy's and Gimbel's as competing stores and on an idiomatic rhetorical pattern. A B1 learner who knows the constituent words but lacks this cultural/idiomatic background would not reliably derive the intended sense, so the expression is opaque.

Etymology

Does Macy's tell Gimbel's? comes from an old rivalry between two big department stores, Macy's and Gimbel's. The idea is that these rivals would never share secrets, so people use the question to say 'of course not' or 'they won't tell'.