crocodile tears

Related to crocodile tears: crocodile tears syndrome

crocodile tears

A false, insincere, or hypocritical display of sadness or remorse. Derived from an ancient anecdote that a crocodile will weep to lure in its victims, or that it weeps as it eats them. The prime minister's crocodile tears belie the government's involvement with the massacre of its citizens. Jessica shed crocodile tears over the expulsion of her rival, Jacob.
See also: crocodile, tear
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

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]
See also: crocodile, tear
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

crocodile tears

a display of insincere grief.
This expression draws on the ancient belief that crocodiles wept while luring or devouring their prey.
See also: crocodile, tear
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

ˈcrocodile tears

an insincere show of sadness: They never visited her when she was ill, but they came to her funeral and shed (= cried) a few crocodile tears.In the past, people believed that crocodiles trick people into approaching them by pretending to cry, and then eat them. Another belief was that crocodiles cry after eating somebody as if they are sorry.
See also: crocodile, tear
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

crocodile tears

False or hypocritical displays of emotions. A 14th-century adventurer named Sir John Mandeville reported that crocodiles attract their prey's sympathy by weeping and then continued to cry while consuming their victims. Shakespeare referred to such a belief in Othello: “O devil, devil! If that the earth could teem with woman's tears, / Each drop she falls would prove a crocodile.” An alternate explanation is that since those reptiles cannot cry, then crocodile tears are nonexistent shows of emotion. However, and for what's it's worth, zoologists tell us that crocodiles do in fact have functional tear ducts, although with no emotional connection.
See also: crocodile, tear
Endangered Phrases by Steven D. Price
See also:
  • crocodile tears, crying/to cry
  • cry crocodile tears
  • shed crocodile tears
  • ring false
  • ring true
  • ring true/false/hollow
  • ring hollow
  • lip service, to give/pay
  • pay lip service
  • cobbler, stick to your last
References in periodicals archive
'The PDP and indeed all well-meaning Nigerians are appalled by the crocodile tears being shed by the incompetent and deceptive APC-Federal Government instead of scaling up actions on the matter.
Dapchi Abduction: Stop your crocodile tears, PDP tells FG, APC
CROCODILE TEARS. She cannot be oblivious to the fact that she and her party are directly responsible.
'CROCODILE tears' of Tory who backed cuts; she wept as mersey mp told of shameful poverty caused by conservatives - but her voting record shows less sympathy
"It's not good enough for my colleagues across the chamber to cry crocodile tears when they've had a Government since 2007 in Scotland that's taken money from our budget."
SHAME OF THRONES; But as actress daughter's wildling CHARACTERYGRITTE might say,'You know nothing, Sebastian Arbuthnot-Leslie' Castle-owning clan chief causes outrage by accusing anti-austerity campaigners of shedding'crocodile tears'
"We will listen to the people and take on board all they say.'' Funny in how do they not listen prior to voting but cry hot crocodile tears after all the results are in.
Always use your vote; Mailbag letters also appear online at www.examiner.co.uk/letters Mailbag
Be assured, it's overblown and unintentionally funny, milking crocodile tears from half the supporting characters.
Also showing; Seven Pounds (12A) Rating: **
To accuse the media of "crying crocodile tears" over the cutbacks at Tyne Tees is silly.
Letter: VOICE OF THE NORTH - Crocodile tears attack is 'silly'
I read Dave Kidd's comments last week about John's "crocodile tears" and thought I'd put across my own view.
SO PLEASED FOR A CLASS ACT LIKE JT
LABOUR politicians have consistently supported Government policies on post offices so they are crying crocodile tears over their closure.
Straight to the point.: LABOUR politicians
This is known in the industry as "Doing a Threshers", where you cry crocodile tears over your damaged profit margin, because naively you didn't realise how fast things spread on the internet.
Don't do a Threshers and end up crying buckets of crocodile tears; E-BUSINESS
These crocodile tears serve only to mask the hypocrisy of his position.
Letter: Tears hide hypocrisy
Rest in peace LOVE park and let the crocodile tears flow.
Mail drop
In an impassioned introduction, Rowan writes that "a race war can be averted only if we stop denying that a grave threat exists." Even if you don't believe there's a realistic threat of armed racial conflict, you'd better believe there is a high probability of economic and social decline that will blight the nation's future far more surely than the federal deficit over which so many crocodile tears are shed, Wicker says.
A little neighborly advice
government cries only crocodile tears over the Kurds.
Pick a target, any target
Summary: Mandsaur (Madhya Pradesh) [India], May 17 (ANI): Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Friday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of shedding crocodile tears over Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur's statement that Nathuram Godse, who killed Mahatma Gandhi, was a "patriot."
PM Modi is shedding crocodile tears over Pragya's Godse remark: Digvijaya Singh
'The shameless ruling regime led by PDP which after ordering the massacres is seen shedding crocodile tears and some (PDP) members are asking Kashmiris to fear Indian army and save their lives.
Indian oppression cannot force Kashmiris into submission: Yasin Malik