hold water
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
But that's an argument which those in the book business believe simply doesn't hold water.
What do people mean when they say, ‘ As weak as water’?
British National Corpus sentence via the MAGPIE corpus (CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Figurative class: Metaphor (PIE-English corpus, CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31).
Common questions
What does “hold water” mean?
Be valid.
Is “hold water” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.