You say you were late because of traffic, but tell it to the judge.
tell it to the judge
idiomI do not believe what you said.
Origin
disputed originSuggesting what the police might say to a suspect who protests his innocence prior to trial.
He claimed he did not know the rules, but his boss just told him to tell it to the judge.
When the defendant insisted that his actions were entirely accidental, the prosecutor scoffed and told him to tell it to the judge.
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Barnaby Rudge
[Cockney slang]judge
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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.
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judge a book by its cover
To make judgments about things or people by considering external appearances alone.
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judge, jury and executioner
Someone with the roles of judge, jury and executioner; someone with full power to judge and punish others unilaterally.