This old wading pool won't hold water any longer.
2. Fig. not able to be proved; not correct or true. •Jack's story won't hold water. It sounds too unlikely.
•The police's theory will not hold water. The suspect has an ironclad alibi.
Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.
not hold water — (not) hold water if an opinion or a statement does not hold water, it can be shown to be wrong. Most of the arguments put forward by our opponents simply do not hold water … New idioms dictionary
not hold water — not hold ˈwater idiom (informal) if an argument, an excuse, a theory, etc. does not hold water, you cannot believe it Main entry: ↑wateridiom … Useful english dictionary
(not) hold water — If an explanation or argument does not hold water, it does not stand up to critical examination and can be shown to be unfounded. The reasons given for the government s new measures just do not hold water … English Idioms & idiomatic expressions
not hold water — to not seem to be true or reasonable. That argument isn t likely to hold water with my father! A lot of the stuff I believed in when I was 17 just doesn t hold water today. Related vocabulary: hold up Etymology: based on the idea of a bucket or… … New idioms dictionary
hold water — (not) hold water if an opinion or a statement does not hold water, it can be shown to be wrong. Most of the arguments put forward by our opponents simply do not hold water … New idioms dictionary
hold water — When you say that something does or does not hold water , it means that the point of view or argument put forward is or is not sound, strong or logical. For e.g., Saying we should increase our interest rates because everyone else is doing so will … The small dictionary of idiomes
hold water — (not) hold water if an opinion or a statement does not hold water, it can be shown to be wrong. If his theory holds water, it could be a breakthrough in cancer research … New idioms dictionary
hold water — verb resist or withstand wear, criticism, etc. Her shoes won t hold up This theory won t hold water • Syn: ↑stand up, ↑hold up • Hypernyms: ↑survive, ↑last, ↑live … Useful english dictionary
To hold water — Hold Hold, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Held}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Holding}. {Holden}, p. p., is obs. in elegant writing, though still used in legal language.] [OE. haldan, D. houden, OHG. hoten, Icel. halda, Dan. holde, Sw. h[*a]lla, Goth. haldan to feed,… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
To hold water — Water Wa ter (w[add] t[ e]r), n. [AS. w[ae]ter; akin to OS. watar, OFries. wetir, weter, LG. & D. water, G. wasser, OHG. wazzar, Icel. vatn, Sw. vatten, Dan. vand, Goth. wat[=o], O. Slav. & Russ. voda, Gr. y dwr, Skr. udan water, ud to wet, and… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Hold — Hold, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Held}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Holding}. {Holden}, p. p., is obs. in elegant writing, though still used in legal language.] [OE. haldan, D. houden, OHG. hoten, Icel. halda, Dan. holde, Sw. h[*a]lla, Goth. haldan to feed, tend… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
