You think I believe that? Tell it to Sweeney.
tell it to Sweeney
idiomI do not believe what you said.
Origin
first recorded 20th c."Tell it to Sweeney! (The Stuyvesants will understand.)” was an advertisement for the New York (NY) Daily News, first appearing in August 1922. The Daily News positioned itself as the newspaper of the average working man—such as the Irish “Sweeney.” The name “Stuyvesant” was used to represent blue bloods. Thus, if you advertise in the Daily News and reach the Sweeneys of New York City, the Stuyvesants will also get the message.
He claimed he was late because of a parade, but I told him to tell it to Sweeney.
When the politician insisted that the missing funds were merely a clerical error, the skeptical public effectively told it to Sweeney.
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a little bird told me
I received the information from a source which I am not prepared to disclose.
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all told
With everything included, counted, or summed; in total.
- 03
don't tell me
Used to introduce a guess at a fact or situation, as if forestalling the other speaker's utterance.
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I can tell you
Emphasises the truth of a statement.
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I tell a lie
I am mistaken; I thought that what I said (or wrote) was true, but I have just realised that it is not.
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I tell you
Synonym of I can tell you.
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I'll tell you
Synonym of I can tell you.
- 08
kiss and tell
To betray a confidence by disclosing private information, especially of a sexual nature.
Last updated April 17, 2026