scream bloody murder

Idioms  

1. Angrily protest as loudly as possible, as in When Jimmy took her teddy bear, Lauren screamed bloody murder, or Residents are screaming bloody murder about the increase in property taxes. The scream here may be either literal (as in the first example) or figurative, which is also true of invoking murder as though one were in danger of being killed. Versions of this term, such as cry murder, date from the 1400s.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

scream bloody murder

My son was trying to toddle his way around to the back rooms or touching the giant signs in the waiting room, and refused to be picked up lest he scream bloody murder.

From Slate ● Dec. 30, 2019

There are protections in place to guard against political meddling, and armies of career civil servants would scream bloody murder if any appointee — Democrat or Republican — violated them.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 9, 2017

It has that Microsoft Office problem where it looks like most of the features are only used by 5 percent of users — who would all scream bloody murder if they ever went away.

From The Verge ● May 4, 2016

It doesn't happen all the time, and there are millions of true believers around the world who will scream bloody murder if the wrong choice is made.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2014

These are nice old expressions that could be with us for a long time if they’re treated gently, but only time will tell. scream bloody murder.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner

Related Words

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