Is this idiom common?

I’ve heard it. Might be British. The most common phrase would be “that just won’t wash “. Meaning it’s unbelievable.

It's old fashioned and probably regional too

Older American native speaker here. For me it's not an unusual expression.

It’s a common saying in England. It would usually be said if someone tried their luck or lied to you. It’s a way of saying they don’t have a chance or you don’t believe them.

Another American who has never heard this checking in

I'm familiar with it, but it's not common.

It makes sense, but I've never heard someone say it. It's likely a regional phrase.

We say it in Australia. I wouldn’t say it’s super common, but it is in use.

That doesn’t wash- doesn’t make sense. Something is off. REALLY old slang. My 80+ yr old mom uses it. She also says, that smells fishy… something isn’t right. Something is going on. Your actions don’t match what you’re saying.

I’ve heard it. I’m American. The explanation in the original post is pretty poor. I originally thought I’d never heard it. That doesn’t wash. His excuse didn’t wash. My idea won’t wash with them. to wash - to be believed; to be accepted as reasonable

I’m American, I’ve heard this before but only once or twice and from older people. something I hear much more commonly is to replace “wash” with “fly,” though that tends to mean anything is unacceptable, not just an excuse/argument. “That doesn’t fly with me”/“That won’t fly here.”

No. I'd say your average American English speaker might have heard it, but it's very rarely used

More popular would be: **won't fly**, which is similar.

I've only heard "it's a wash", which means two things canceled each other out (usually regarding money ) and you come out even.

Uncommon, but I have heard it.

I’ve heard it but it’s uncommon

I’m an American Anglophone who has never heard this phrase before, but instead of the usual “it must be rare, antiquated, or regional” excuse people throw around here, I will instead say “neat, I learned a new phrase!”. Even native speakers continue to learn their own mother tongues for as long as they live, and that’s great.

Somehow I’m not sure if I’ve heard this. I have definitely heard “that doesn’t wash.” It means “that doesn’t hold water,” as in “that’s not something I can believe” or “that explanation collapses under scrutiny.” This is common. It’s less common to head “that doesn’t wash *with me.”* I’ve definitely heard “that doesn’t jive with me.” It means “I don’t accept that,” but does *not* suggest “don’t believe” as much. Another common expression is “that’s a wash” or “it washes.” For example, when I return a $50 pair of pants that don’t fit, and buy a $50 shirt in the same transaction, it washes: I get no money back, and I owe no money; I trade the pants for the shirt and that’s a wash. You could think of it as the refund getting washed away by the purchase, but no one really says it that way.

I've heard and/or read it. It isn't common in the US. I want to say I've only heard it on TV. Honestly idk if it's just archaic, or if it was old movies from Britain. I don't think I've ever heard the idiom come from an actual living, standing in front of me, human.

American. Have heard it, Don't hear it often, but I do hear it.

I'm Canadian - never heard it

American here. I have a family member that uses it a lot.

Idk if it's real but I'mma start using it now

Brit here, older gen z, not familiar with it, but would probably understand it if heard it used just from context clues

As an American, I’ve only ever heard “wash” be used in the sense that two things cancel each other out (“it’s a wash”). I’ve never used it in the way that your picture explains it.

No. Not in my dialect this was the first I’d heard of it

UK here. It's part of the language here, at least for me (aged 50}. I've used it in poetry and assumed a general knowledge of it. I don't recall having heard it much in recent years, possibly due to the rising popularity of the alternative, "it won't fly", and perhaps because we are all increasingly awash in a sea of imperfect information and argument.

American here. I've lived in the Midwest, southwest, east coast and west coast and I've never heard this before. Not even in books, TV, or movies.

Nope. I may have seen it in literature at some point because it didn't sound new to me. But I don't think I've ever heard someone say it out loud.

Fairly common. It or that won't wash means that isn't believable or we can't sell that lie. I don't know the origins, and it's definitely a Boomer saying

My parents would say it. They were born in the 1930s. But anyone would understand it.

Brit in their 20s and I know it, have heard it, but don't personally use it. The explanation kinda sucks

American here, I've never heard it. Might be slang somewhere else though.

I’ve never heard of this.

Older people tend to use it. It’s not terribly common, but someone my age, 20s, would still understand

I'd say semi common, but older. I don't think I've heard it in a few years at least, but I know I've said it before once or twice. "that doesn't wash" would be fine, but again, older.

Yes.

Acceptable but not very common. Easily understood

Never ever heard it

British here - it's old fashioned, but you might hear it around. I'd say it's been replaced by "it won't fly", though.

Northern English here. I use it occasionally as "That doesn't wash with me", exactly as defined here. You'd never use it in the positive, as "It does wash with me" - it is always used in the negative.

UK here. I wouldn’t say it’s ’commonly used’ but I’d definitely expect most people to know what it means

UK here. I wouldn’t say it’s ’commonly used’ but I’d definitely expect most people to know what it means

Yes quite common in the UK.

I'm not sure, I've never heard of it. Native UK

"Its a wash"

I'm American and use it a lot. Though fair warning, my wife sometimes tells me that I speak like a 90-year-old prospector, so I'm not sure I'm the best gauge of what's normal when it comes to idioms, lol. In all seriousness, though, I do hear it a lot from others. I'd say it's fairly common, especially in the Southeast and Western US. Possibly elsewhere in the English-speaking world too, that's just where I've heard it the most. edit to add: I don't think that's a really good explanation, though. In this context, "wash" can be used a number of different ways, but it's usually basically a synonym for "failed," except often without the connotation of a loss. So like if I said, "Well, that was a wash," I'd mean that it wasn't successful, but I also didn't really lose anything. "That argument was a wash," would be the same, like I didn't convince the person, but I didn't make them angry or make them less likely to listen to future arguments from me. Or kind of another variant is "washing out," which again kind of means failing, but not quite as negative. So for example, I use that term a lot because I train search and rescue dogs, and that's the term everyone uses to talk about dogs who can't get mission-certified. They "wash out" of training. But that term is preferred because it's a little gentler, since these aren't bad dogs! They just aren't suited for that particular work, but tend to make great pets for people who are pretty active and maybe want to do some casual dog sports or whatever.

I've never heard that before 😂  Although it might just not be an American thing. To answer your question, no, it isn't common.

Never heard it used that way

In the US its more common to hear the phrase "wash out" which means someone who failed at something. Ex: "95% of wannabe rangers wash out during hell week" or "a lot of people wash out in organic chemistry" variation: "he used to get paid a lot to act but now he's washed up"