buy it
English
editEtymology
edit- In the die sense, likely an elliptical variant of buy the farm.
- In the have it sense, an elliptical allusion to believing a sales pitch.
Pronunciation
editAudio (General Australian): (file)
Verb
editbuy it (third-person singular simple present buys it, present participle buying it, simple past and past participle bought it)
- (slang) To die.
- Synonyms: buy the farm, kick the bucket; see also Thesaurus:die
- He bought it in a shootout.
- To believe any particular assertion or idea.
- Synonym: have it
- Hyponym: buy into it
- He claims that he'll pay me back, but I don't buy it.
- He was claiming that he'd pay her back, but she wasn't buying it.
Usage notes
edit- The die sense is usually used in the preterite and in the perfect aspect (denoting notionally instantaneous finality).