ring true

From the sound of a coin when tested for authenticity.

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

ring true (third-person singular simple present rings true, present participle ringing true, simple past rang true, past participle rung true)

1. (idiomatic) To seem to be correct, or plausible

   His excuse about his daughter being ill again rings true, to me.

   • 1987 February 22, Lars Eighner, “Gay Writers Are Attempting Quality Work”, in Gay Community News, volume 14, number 31, page 4:

     T.R. Witomski's trashing of gay literature would have rung a bit truer if he had a little less to do with the condition of gay literature as we now know it.

• ring false
• ring hollow

• gruntier