cry wolf

Idioms  

1. Raise a false alarm, as in Helen's always crying wolf about attempted break-ins, but the police can never find any evidence. This term comes from the tale about a young shepherd watching his flock who, lonely and fearful, called for help by shouting “Wolf!” After people came to his aid several times and saw no wolf, they ignored his cries when a wolf actually attacked his sheep. The tale appeared in a translation of Aesop's fables by Roger L'Estrange (1692), and the expression has been applied to any false alarm since the mid-1800s.

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Example Sentences

Dr Simon Williams, who researches psychology and public health at Swansea University, says there are issues with the "current language around every winter being 'the worst' in some way or another" and risks a "cry wolf" effect that damages trust and means people become "numb" to the advice.

From BBC

After the deadly Fourth of July floods in Texas, for example, the Kerrville city manager said that authorities were reluctant to “cry wolf” and order evacuations.

From Slate

He added: “It’s very tough to make those calls. Because what we also don’t want to do is cry wolf.”

From Los Angeles Times

“The challenge is always, you don’t want to cry wolf too soon, but you certainly don’t want to wait until the wolf’s eating you, either,” he said of declaring a drought.

From Los Angeles Times

That sort of description typically makes me urp; too many critics serve it up every week or two and they cry wolf, or masterwork, or not-to-be-missed too often to be trusted.

From Seattle Times