Meaning: To sound familiar; to remember something, but maybe not very well
Examples:
“Do you know Felipe Sanchez?” “The name rings a bell.”
“Don’t remember? Well, I’ll read some addresses and you tell me if any of them ring a bell.”
She asked me if I had ever studied past perfect tense and I told her it rang a bell.
Pop Quiz:
Which of following might ring a bell?
A. The keys to your apartment.
B. The name of a movie.
C. Your cell phone.
To see the correcting answer, click on “Continue reading”:
The correct answer is B. If someone says the name of a movie and you think maybe you’ve seen it, it would then ring a bell.