Nearby Words
crocodile tears
Crocodile www.ask.com/Crocodile Find Fast Facts, References and More on Ask.com. Get Answers Now!
Dictionary.com Mobile www.dictionary.com/mobile Join 45 Million Happy Mobile Users Today On Our Award-Winning Four Star App. Download Now!
Ads
crocodile tears
noun
1.
(used with a plural verb) a hypocritical show of sorrow; insincere tears.
2.
(used with a singular verb) Pathology. spontaneous tearing initiated by tasting or chewing food, occurring as a result of facial paralysis.
Origin:
1555–65; so called from the the ancient belief that crocodiles shed tears while eating their victims
1555–65; so called from the the ancient belief that crocodiles shed tears while eating their victims
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
|
Link To crocodile tears
00:10
00:09
00:08
00:07
00:06
00:05
00:04
00:03
00:02
00:01
Crocodile tears
is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
| crocodile tears | |
| —pl n | |
| an insincere show of grief; false tears | |
| [from the belief that crocodiles wept over their prey to lure further victims] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
crocodile tears definition
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 American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases
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® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Word Dynamo Rating For Crocodile tears
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
