Meaning
dated A scornful or incredulous response to a story or statement that one does not believe or finds ridiculous.
Examples
Chester: “You know, my dad used to play basketball with the President when they were both kids.” Dave: “Ah, go tell it to Sweeney, Chester! Why do you tell such fibs?”
A: “I bet you I could eat 20 hot dogs in less than half an hour!” B: “Tell that to Sweeney, pal!”A: “I bet you I could eat 20 hot dogs in less than half an hour!” B: “Tell that to Sweeney, pal!”
Yeah, right, like you’re related to that famous astronaut. Tell it to Sweeney.
Origin
Synonyms
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The idiom ‘(Go) tell it/that to Sweeney!’ means “to deal with a difficult situation without being harmed or damaged”
Example usage of idiom ‘(Go) tell it/that to Sweeney!’: Newspapers have weathered the storm of online information by providing news online themselves.