english
1
general::
Phrase(s): laugh something out of court to dismiss something presented in earnest as ridiculous. • The committee laughed the suggestion out of court. • Bob’s request for a large salary increase was laughed out of court.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
2
general::
Dismiss with ridicule or scorn, as in When he told them the old car could be repaired, they laughed him out of court. This expression, which originally referred to a case so laughable or trivial that a court of law would dismiss it, originated in ancient Roman times but has been used in English, without its former legal significance, since the late 1800s.
American Heritage Idioms