don't ask

Idioms

A phrase used to fend off questions about a situation one finds awkward, unpleasant, or unsatisfactory. For example, How did we do in the bridge tournament? Don't ask! [Colloquial; 1960s] For a similar phrase, see forget it.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

One thing I learned as a Wall Street Journal reporter covering Alan Greenspan’s 18-year reign of the Federal Reserve: Don’t ask the man a question when you’re in a buffet line with coffee in one hand, a plate in the other, and a reporter’s notebook in your back pocket.

From Barron's

But nothing was done in a "don't ask, don't tell" culture, with it being felt it was "safe to hush it up", the review led by barrister Gabrielle Higgins found.

From BBC

“If you stay on the path. And don’t ask questions.”

From Literature

“I said, don’t ask questions.”

From Literature

"I don't ask the person where it's from or the reasons behind it. If they want, they talk on their own."

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023