crocodile tears
(used with a plural verb) a hypocritical show of sorrow; insincere tears.
(used with a singular verb)Pathology. spontaneous tearing initiated by tasting or chewing food, occurring as a result of facial paralysis.
Origin of crocodile tears
1Words Nearby crocodile tears
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use crocodile tears in a sentence
And as for larger crocodile tears from Republicans in Congress--oh, boo hoo.
Now Terry Jones is shedding crocodile tears, saying he is "devastated" by the violence, but it was entirely predictable.
The result, predictably enough, was huge deficits, about which Republicans shed crocodile tears, but did almost nothing.
As to Skiddy, he continued at intervals to shed crocodile tears over his past short-comings, or rather his short-goings!
Ruth Hall | Fanny FernHe died of a broken heart, and all Fuzby built his conspicuous tomb, and shed crocodile tears over his pious memory.
St. Winifred's | Frederic W. Farrar
crocodile tears though they often are, they have an effect on me which is more than peculiar.
In Strange Company | Guy BoothbyYou've been whimpering like a whipped cur, trying to arouse a lot of sympathy with your crocodile tears.
The Lone Ranger Rides | Fran StrikerHe brought forth crocodile tears for the death of his father-in-law.
Louis XIV and La Grande Mademoiselle | Arvede Barine
British Dictionary definitions for crocodile tears
an insincere show of grief; false tears
Origin of crocodile tears
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for crocodile tears
An insincere show of sympathy or sadness; crocodiles were once thought to “weep” large tears before they ate their victims: “Don't shed any crocodile tears for Fisher; I know you were responsible for his firing.”
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with crocodile tears
An insincere display of grief, as in When the play's star broke her leg, her understudy wept crocodile tears. This term comes from the mistaken notion that crocodiles weep while eating their prey, one held in ancient Roman times. The actual term was picked up by Shakespeare and many other writers after him, and remains current. [Late 1500s]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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