tell it to the judge
I do not believe what you said.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“You say you were late because of traffic, but tell it to the judge.”
“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.”
The expression originates from a standard retort issued by police officers to suspects who protest their innocence before a trial has commenced. It functions as a dismissal of immediate explanations, suggesting that the suspect reserve their arguments for a formal legal setting.
- 01
a little bird told me
I received the information from a source which I am not prepared to disclose.
- 02
all told
With everything included, counted, or summed; in total.
- 03
Barnaby Rudge
[Cockney slang]judge
- 04
don't tell me
Used to introduce a guess at a fact or situation, as if forestalling the other speaker's utterance.
- 05
I can tell you
Emphasises the truth of a statement.
- 06
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.
- 07
I tell you
Synonym of I can tell you.
- 08
I'll tell you
Synonym of I can tell you.
Last updated August 10, 2026