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Glite Dictionary
to tell it to the judge

to tell it to the judge

8.7
Make an excuse that nobody believes and only a judge cares about
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : díselo al juez
  • Whenever he made excuses, his sister would just say, 'tell it to the judge.'

Examples

  • If you really think you have a case, go ahead and tell it to the judge.

  • Don't complain to me, just tell it to the judge!

  • I don't want to hear any more about why you're late—tell it to the judge.

  • I really don't care what you think, just tell it to the judge.

  • I don't want to hear any more about why you're late—tell it to the judge.

  • If you really think you have a case, go ahead and tell it to the judge.

  • Whenever he made excuses, his sister would just say, 'tell it to the judge.'

Synonyms

to laugh out of court
vsto tell it to the judge
  • Informal
1 9.0

To reject something as silly and not take it seriously in places like a court or meeting

suggests only an authority would possibly treat the complaint as important
to tell it to the marines
vsto tell it to the judge
  • Archaic
9.6

Say you do not believe someone's story

suggests only an authority might take it seriously

Antonyms

to listen
∞ 1.0

Pay attention to advice or warnings and act on them

to acknowledge
367 3.8

To admit that something is true or real

Surface Forms

tell it to the judge infinitive
told it to the judge past
told it to the judge past participle
telling it to the judge present participle
tells it to the judge third person singular

Morphology

tell + it + to + the + judge

The literal meanings of 'tell' and 'judge' yield a clear surface interpretation — to report something to a judge — so a learner who knows the words can grasp the basic propositional content. However, the phrase is commonly used as a dismissive, sarcastic retort meaning 'I don't care / take it up with someone else,' and that pragmatic, idiomatic force is not fully predictable from the constituents without exposure.

Etymology

Tell it to the judge imagines a judge as the only person who will seriously listen to a complaint, so saying it means you do not believe the story. That is why it is used to 'dismiss an excuse' or to tell someone to 'take it to an authority'.