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Meaning & use

shed crocodile tears

phrase·Advanceddisapproving

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UK/ˌʃed ˈkrɒkədaɪl ˌtɪəz/
US/ˌʃed ˈkrɑːkədaɪl ˌtɪrz/
Usage warning: this word is disapproving. It shows a negative opinion, so take care with who and what you use it about.

Meanings

  1. phraseidiomdisapproving

    To act as if you are upset about someone's trouble while really feeling nothing, or even feeling pleased.

    Grammar: Used as a verb phrase after a subject: she shed crocodile tears. The noun form is crocodile tears, often with cry or be.

    Patterns

    • shed crocodile tears over something
    • shed crocodile tears for someone
    • cry crocodile tears
    • somebody's crocodile tears

    The manager shed crocodile tears over the layoffs, then took a bigger bonus.

    He cried crocodile tears at the funeral even though he had not spoken to his brother in years.

    Her apology sounded like crocodile tears to everyone who knew what she had done.

  2. phrasepluraldisapprovingfigurative

    An insincere display of sadness that hides a lack of real sympathy.

    Grammar: Used as a plural noun phrase, often after a verb such as cry, weep, or be: those were crocodile tears.

    Patterns

    • crocodile tears for someone
    • be (all) crocodile tears
    • a flood of crocodile tears

    The company's statement was pure crocodile tears; nothing changed for the workers.

    Don't believe his crocodile tears — he was the one who spread the rumor.

    She offered crocodile tears instead of an actual apology.

Common combinations

shed crocodile tears over something
Politicians shed crocodile tears over the disaster while cutting the aid budget.
cry crocodile tears
He cried crocodile tears when his rival lost the contract.
be all crocodile tears
Her regret was all crocodile tears, as her next email showed.
a show of crocodile tears
The speech was a show of crocodile tears aimed at the cameras.
crocodile tears for someone
There were crocodile tears for the old boss, but nobody missed him.

Synonyms and how they differ

fake grief
A plain description rather than an idiom; it states the insincerity directly instead of using the crocodile image.
hypocrisy
A broader noun for pretending to hold feelings or beliefs you do not have; crocodile tears refers specifically to pretended sorrow.
play-acting
Informal and general; it can describe any pretense, while crocodile tears is only about false sadness.

Opposites

genuine sorrowreal grief

Word family

crocodile noun
A large reptile with a long snout and powerful jaws; the image behind the idiom.
tear noun
A drop of liquid from the eye, usually when crying.

Commonly confused: shed crocodile tears or cry wolf? shed crocodile tears or waterworks?

shed crocodile tears vs cry wolf

This means to raise a false alarm so often that people stop believing you. Crocodile tears are about pretended sadness, not false warnings.

shed crocodile tears vs waterworks

Informal for a noisy burst of crying. It does not by itself suggest that the crying is insincere, which crocodile tears always does.

Practice

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