as convincing as weak tea
- idiom
- Informal
:
tan convincente como un té débil
- His promises were as convincing as weak tea and nobody believed him.
Examples
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Her excuse for being late was as convincing as weak tea and met with raised eyebrows.
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Don't give me excuses that are as convincing as weak tea!
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The lawyer's defense was as convincing as weak tea, easily dismissed by the jury.
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His explanation was as convincing as weak tea.
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Her excuse for being late was as convincing as weak tea, which led to more questions.
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The politician's speech was as convincing as weak tea, failing to persuade the audience.
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Despite his efforts, his argument was as convincing as weak tea and did not sway anyone.
Synonyms
19
4.6
Weak and not convincing as an excuse or argument
11
5.1
Failing to make someone believe what you say
Very weak and unconvincing, like a poor excuse
How Convincing
Surface Forms
Morphology
as + convincing + as + weak + tea
The simile follows the productive English pattern 'as ... as' and uses the ordinary senses of 'convincing', 'weak' (not strong), and 'tea' (a drink), so the comparison to 'weak tea' transparently signals low persuasive strength. This compositional metaphor (weak = lacking strength/impact) is cross-linguistically accessible, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words should be able to infer the meaning.
Etymology
As convincing as weak tea gives the image of watery weak tea with almost no taste or strength, so it cannot persuade you. That's why it means 'not convincing' or very weak.