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3. laugh out of court

laugh out of court

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laugh something out of court

to dismiss something presented in earnest as ridiculous. The committee laughed the suggestion out of court. Bob's request for a large salary increase was laughed out of court.

See also: court, laugh, of, out

laugh something/somebody out of court

to refuse to think seriously about an idea, belief or a possibility (usually passive) At the meeting, her proposal was laughed out of court. Anyone who had made such a ludicrous suggestion would have been laughed out of court

See also: court, laugh, of, out

laugh out of court

Dismiss with ridicule or scorn, as in When he told them the old car could be repaired, they laughed him out of court. This expression, which originally referred to a case so laughable or trivial that a court of law would dismiss it, originated in ancient Roman times but has been used in English, without its former legal significance, since the late 1800s.

See also: court, laugh, of, out