believe you me en · X
Pronunciation
- /bi-/ (General-American)
- /bə-/ (General-American)
- /bɪˈliːv juː ˈmiː/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /bɪˈliv ju ˈmi/ (General-American)
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
Derived from an archaic English sentence structure. Compare I kid you not.
Meanings
-
(idiomatic) An emphatic form of believe me: you (the subject) had better believe me (the speaker).
Well, sir, believe you me, I'll give that lassy as good a strapping as ever she got when she comes back.
1841, Caesar Otway, Sketches in Erris and Tyrawly, by the author of 'Sketches in Ireland ..., page 185:"Believe you me," said Meldon, " she'll know how to manage him."
1912, George A. Birmingham, The Simpkins Plot, page 75:But many a time, believe you me, I bought a rabbit from you, when I could put something else in the pot...
1870, Garland, In re Garland, page 94:That's change, if you like to call it so. But the heart of things is just the same. Balzac stands for Paris, believe you me.
1877, Justin McCarthy, Miss Misanthrope: A Novel, page 21:Believe you me, if the people in this country think they’re going to be cheated, they’re going to be betrayed, then we will see political anger the likes of which none of us in our lifetimes have ever witnessed in this country.
2016 November 7, Stephen Castle, quoting Theresa May, “British Leader Stands Firm on Timetable for ‘Brexit’”, in The New York Times, page A6:But, Sandy lad, believe you me, I loe ye like a brither!
1887, Alexander Wardrop, Mid-Cauther Fair: A Dramatic Pastoral : with Other Poems, Songs, and Prose, page 113:
Translations (1)
pl uwierz mi (emphatic form of believe me)