There's more to it than meets the eye.

"What do you mean?" "I mean that all is not gold that glitters. I mean that though this lady is rich and beautiful and beloved, there is all the same something that is not right." (A. Chr.)

"There's more here, Sir, however, " he said, "than meets the eye. I don't believe in suicide, nor in pure accident myself." (J. G.)

Disbelief uses the following phrases:

Tell that to the marines (horse marines). (Tell your story

but no one will believe you.)

Tell me (us) another one! (I (we) don't believe this story.)

The phrases are used to express disbelief in an impossible

story.

"To mention that to the Committee, " Sir Lawrence said slowly, "would certainly be telling it to the marines." (J. G.)

When he started talking about his adventures in Central Africa, I couldn't help saying, "Tell that to the horse marines!" (K. H.) The climate's all right when it isn't too dry or too wet — it suits my wife fine, but, sir, when they talk about making your fortune all I can say is tell it to the marines. (J. G.) Pygmalion... So come to the point, I have suc­ceeded in making artificial human beings. Real live ones, I mean. Incredulous voices. Oh, come! Tell us another. (B. Sh.)

You're telling me! may be similarly used.

I put on a sort of modest look. "No, " I tell her. "I'm not a guy who goes for dames." "You're telling me!" she says. (P. Ch.)

Other exclamatory phrases of disbelief are: Get away with you! or Go (get) along with you! — friendly expressions of disbelief, meaning I don't believe a word of what you are saying. You don't say!

...my foot! — exclamation of disbelief following repeti­tion of a previous remark: George is a gentleman. Gen­tleman my foot! A likely tale! (A most unlikely tale.)

"Pretty little thing, " said Mr. Sunbury tenta­tively after the young things have left.

"Pretty my foot! All that paint and powder." (S. M.)

"I may have been fascinated — held in a kind of spell — by a certain quality of life — " "Oh, quality of life my foot. You just stayed in love with her and didn't know it." (J. P.) "What I want to get at, and what we all ought to know is — where this girl got those pearls?" "She has told us they were given to her." "A likely tale!" (B. R.)

Figments of the imagination are described thus:

a tall story — a story difficult to believe; an exaggerated

story

"Well, " said Troy, "how did he get here?"

"Guerilla, " explained Traub. "The Russians sent

him back through the lines to work as a guerilla.

In Riga the Germans caught him and tortured

him."

"Tall story, " said Troy. (S. H.)

a cock-and-bull story (tale, yarn) — a fantastic and in­credible story

He told us that cock-and-bull story before. (W. B.) The judge did not believe the defendant's cock-and-bull story. (K. H.)

It's far-fetched, (i. e. It strains one's credulity.)

That's far-fetched, I am afraid. (V. L.) For many reasons which you might think far­fetched, I had and still have a feeling that I ought to spend the War in the ranks and in the line. (R. A.)

thin (generally a bit thin) — unconvincing, improbably weak

Her story about leaving her purse on the piano sounded a bit thin. (D. E. S.)

Unbelievable good fortune is described thus: It's too good to be true.

His voice trembled a little as he spoke. It all seemed too good to be true. (N. C.)

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