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cry wolf - 3 dictionary results
wolf
[woo
lf]
noun, plural wolves [woo
lvz]
, verb –noun
| 1. | any of several large carnivorous mammals of the genus Canis, of the dog family Canidae, esp. C. lupus, usually hunting in packs, formerly common throughout the Northern Hemisphere but now chiefly restricted to the more unpopulated parts of its range. |
| 2. | the fur of such an animal. |
| 3. | any of various wolflike animals of different families, as the thylacine. |
| 4. | (initial capital letter ) Astronomy. the constellation Lupus. |
| 5. | the larva of any of various small insects infesting granaries. |
| 6. | a cruelly rapacious person. |
| 7. | Informal. a man who makes amorous advances to many women. |
| 8. | Music.
|
–verb (used with object)
| 9. | to devour voraciously (often fol. by down): He wolfed his food. |
–verb (used without object)
—Idioms| 10. | to hunt for wolves. |
| 11. | cry wolf, to give a false alarm: Is she really sick or is she just crying wolf? |
| 12. | keep the wolf from the door, to avert poverty or starvation; provide sufficiently for: Their small inheritance kept the wolf from the door. |
| 13. | wolf in sheep's clothing, a person who conceals his or her evil intentions or character beneath an innocent exterior. |
Origin:
bef. 900; ME; OE wulf; c. G Wolf, ON ulfr, Goth wulfs, Pol wilk, Lith vil̃kas, Skt vṛka; akin to L lupus, Gk lýkos
bef. 900; ME; OE wulf; c. G Wolf, ON ulfr, Goth wulfs, Pol wilk, Lith vil̃kas, Skt vṛka; akin to L lupus, Gk lýkos

Related forms:
wolflike, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source
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Link To cry wolf
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
cry wolf
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.
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
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