wolf in sheep's clothing

a wolf in sheep's clothing

A person or thing that appears harmless but is actually dangerous or bad. Don't trust Dana—she's a wolf in sheep's clothing who will try to steal your position if given the chance. The politician portrayed himself as moderate, but turned out to be a wolf in sheep's clothing with a radical agenda.
See also: clothing, wolf
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

wolf in sheep's clothing

Fig. a dangerous person pretending to be harmless. Carla thought the handsome stranger was gentle and kind, but Susan suspected he was a wolf in sheep's clothing. Mimi: Why shouldn't I go out with David? He's the nicest man I've ever met. Alan: He's a wolf in sheep's clothing, Mimi. Can't you tell?
See also: clothing, wolf
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

wolf in sheep's clothing

An enemy disguised as a friend, as in Dan was a wolf in sheep's clothing, pretending to help but all the while spying for our competitors . This term comes from the ancient fable about a wolf that dresses up in the skin of a sheep and sneaks up on a flock. This fable has given rise to a rich history of allusions as in the Sermon on the Mount when Jesus speaks of false prophets in sheep's clothing, "but inwardly they are ravening wolves" (Matthew 7:15).
See also: clothing, wolf
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

wolf in sheep's clothing

One who feigns congeniality while actually holding malevolent intentions.
See also: clothing, wolf
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.

wolf in sheep's clothing, a

An enemy masquerading as a friend. The term comes from Aesop’s fable about a wolf dressing up as a shepherd (in some versions, as a sheep) and sneaking up on the flock. In the Bible, Jesus warns of “false prophets which come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly they are ravening wolves” (Matthew 7:15). The expression has appealed to hundreds of writers. Clare Boothe Luce (Kiss the Boys Good-bye, 1939) used it to describe a predatory male collegian: “A wolf with a sheepskin.”
See also: wolf
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • a wolf in sheep's clothing
  • clothing
  • wolf in sheep's clothing, a
  • sheep
  • take the teeth out of
  • a steal
  • be a steal
  • tarred with the same brush, to be
  • dumb bunny
  • old trout
References in periodicals archive
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WOLVES - AND an alleged wolf in sheep's clothing - have produced surprising public outcries lately.
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His first appearance in the book is literally as a wolf in sheep's clothing, "decked out in a fleecy white suit and a lopsided fedora." Monroe's depiction of his first violation of the little girl is appropriately horrifying.
God Don't Like Ugly
There is Eugene, a well-intentioned husband and father unable to conquer a tendency toward homosexuality; Reverend Woods, a wolf in sheep's clothing, is all too willing to sacrifice his soul on the altar of political gain; Basil atones for his part in Mattie Michael's displacement by marrying an irresponsible mother of two; the autistic Jerome, a talented pianist whose blues playing rivals that of Jelly Roll Morton or Count Basie, is cursed with a mother who exploits his gift for monetary gain; the street-wise C.
The Men of Brewster Place
"Previous work had suggested that pheomelanin could be a wolf in sheep's clothing," says Liebler.
Unraveling the Mystery of Melanin
is a wolf in sheep's clothing. He is not what he pretends to be."
Pat's pique
Sheep typically represent the chosen flock of the Good Shepherd; they may be deceived by a 'wolf in sheep's clothing',(9) or stand contrasted to the less faithful goats.
The wolf doesn't care: the proverbial and traditional context of Lagamon's 'Brut' lines 10624-36
THE CHANCELLOR Osborne is a wolf in sheep's clothing attacking the most vulnerable elderly, urging them to cash in meagre pension pots and risk being left without enough to see them through retirement.
Winners & losers