ask a silly/stupid question (and you'll get a silly/stupid answer)

ask a silly/stupid question (and you'll get a silly/stupid answer)

A response to an unsatisfying answer or to one that is a put-down. Eric Partridge believed this nineteenth-century retort evolved from the proverb ask me no questions, I’ll tell you no lies, but the two clichés are not identical.
See also: ask, get, question, silly, stupid
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • cat got your tongue, has the
  • more (to it) than meets the eye
  • you (can) bet your (sweet) life)
  • get into the swing of (things), to
  • go(ing) to town
  • letter perfect
  • up to scratch, (to come/be)
  • like a ton of bricks, (come down)
  • level best, to do one's
  • dressed to kill/to the nines