What it means
A cheeky British brush-off for when someone's story sounds like pure cobblers and you're not buying a single crumb of it. It's basically saying yeah, go on then, tell me another one. Usually playful, sometimes a bit sharper, but nearly always said with a grin rather than full-on rage.
Usage examples
"You won the lottery and you're still coming to work? Pull the other one."
"He fixed it all by himself? Pull the other one, he barely knows which end of a screwdriver is which."
"You won the lottery and you are still at work? Pull the other one."
"You bumped into Idris Elba at Greggs and he asked for your number? Pull the other one."
"She says she's only having one pint tonight. Pull the other one, it's Friday."
Where it comes from
It’s a shortened British crack from the fuller line pull the other one, it’s got bells on. That longer version is on record from the late 19th century and plays in the same teasing lane as pull someone’s leg. The bells bit turns the mockery up, basically saying the tale’s so daft it ought to jingle.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
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