<P> "Tell it to the Marines" is a catchphrase, originally with reference to Britain's Royal Marines, connoting that the person addressed is not to be believed ("tell it to the marines because the sailors won't believe you"). </P> <P> The earliest published use of the phrase is in 1804 in John Davis's novel The Post Captain; or, the Wooden Walls Well Manned; Comprehending a View of Naval Society and Manners: "You may tell that to the marines...may I be d---- d if the sailors will believe it .", and several similar shorter phrases in speeches by characters . Davis was a veteran of the navy . This original meaning of the phrase is pejorative to the Marines, implying that they are gullible . </P>

Where does the saying tell it to the marines come from
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