not hold water

not hold water

To not be or not appear to be true, verifiable, or able to be supported by facts. The image is of a container with holes in it—a metaphor for a position or argument containing "holes" (errors or gaps in reasoning). I'm afraid that excuse just doesn't hold water with me—you still should have had plenty of time to complete the assignment and print it. That old claim has been debunked so many time that it just does not hold water any more.See also: hold, not, water

not hold water

 1. Lit. [of a container] not able to contain water without leaking. 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.See also: hold, not, water

won't hold water

to be inadequate, insubstantial, or ill-conceived. Sorry, your ideas won't hold water. Nice try, though. The prosecution's case wouldn't hold water, so the defendant was released.See also: hold, water

not hold water

COMMON If a theory or an argument does not hold water, you can prove that it is wrong. That explanation does not hold water, according to senior intelligence sources. It doesn't really matter that not all of the film's arguments hold water. Note: You can also say that a theory or an argument holds water, meaning that it is true or right. If these arguments hold water, then we may have to rethink our policy.See also: hold, not, water