promises, promises
- idiom
- Informal
:
promesas, promesas
- She laughed and replied, 'promises, promises,' when he swore he'd never be late again.
Examples
-
He keeps saying he'll help with the dishes, but it's just promises, promises.
-
Oh, promises, promises! I doubt he'll actually do it.
-
After hearing it so many times, 'promises, promises' was all I could say.
-
When I heard his speech, all I could think was, promises, promises!
-
When he assured me he would change, I just thought, 'promises, promises!'
-
Every time she claims she'll start exercising, I can't help but think, 'promises, promises.'
-
After his latest grand claim, I sighed and muttered, 'promises, promises, I’ll believe it when I see it.'
Synonyms
34
8.4
A way to say you do not think someone will get what they want
3
7.7
Said when you doubt what someone says, often ironically
1
5.5
A person or thing that makes big promises but does not act
A person who says they will do things but never does them
Surface Forms
Morphology
promises, + promise
The phrase clearly refers to 'promises' (so a learner who knows the noun will know the topical referent), but the sarcastic, dismissive force created by repeating the word is a pragmatic/idiomatic use that is not fully predictable from the literal meanings. Repetition to signal irony exists in some languages but varies, so the connection is partially transparent yet requires pragmatic knowledge or exposure.
Etymology
Promises, promises comes from the image of hearing the same promise again and again until it feels empty; repeating the word promises shows the speaker thinks the promise will not be kept. That's why people say it as a sarcastic remark to show they do not 'believe' the promise.