ENGLISH
REFERENCE

buy it

idiom
Meaning

To believe any particular assertion or idea; to support it.


Origin

disputed origin

* In the die sense, apparently attested since the 1820s, thus earlier than the variant buy the farm, which may be an extension of it. * In the have it sense, an elliptical allusion to believing a sales pitch.

Examples
SIMPLE

He told a strange story, but I did not buy it.

CONTEXTUAL

The salesperson claimed the car was in perfect condition, but I did not buy it.

COMPLEX

Although the politician offered a polished explanation for the scandal, the public simply did not buy it.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    buy a dog and bark oneself

    To do something that one has hired someone else to do.

  2. 02

    buy a ticket to

    Used to indicate that someone is in agreement with an assertion, statement, or suggestion.

  3. 03

    buy and hold

    A passive investment strategy where an investor purchases an asset and retains it for many years, rather than trading it frequently.

  4. 04

    buy into

    To believe (something, especially something implausible); to accept (a craze, fad, or notion) as valid.

  5. 05

    buy out

    to purchase the entire stock or extent of something

  6. 06

    buy straw hats in winter

    Of stocks, to buy when both demand and price are low, so as to sell when demand and price are high.

  7. 07

    buy the farm

    To die; generally, to die in battle or in a plane crash.

  8. 08

    buy the rumor

    To purchase an asset based on positive speculation or unconfirmed reports, anticipating a price rise before the positive development leading to it is confirmed by official news.

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