ENGLISH
REFERENCE

believe you me

idiom
Meaning

An emphatic form of believe me: you (the subject) had better believe me (the speaker).

Origin

disputed origin

Derived from an archaic English sentence structure. Compare I kid you not.

Examples
SIMPLE

It was a difficult journey, believe you me.

CONTEXTUAL

That was the hardest exam I have ever taken, believe you me.

COMPLEX

The situation in the city is far more dangerous than the reports suggest, believe you me.

Anchors to
Related idioms5entries
  1. 01

    Adam and Eve

    [Cockney slang]believe

  2. 02

    believe it or not

    This may be surprising, but it's true.

  3. 03

    believe one's ears

    To believe that something which one hears is truly the case.

  4. 04

    believe one's eyes

    To believe that something which one directly sees is truly the case.

  5. 05

    make believe

    To pretend or imagine.

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