cry wolf
2016.09.14
Meaning:
‘cry wolf’ is an expression from an old story. In this story a boy has a job of looking after sheep. His job is boring, so sometimes he tries to create drama by crying out, ‘Wolf! Wolf!’ All the people near him come running – because they think a wolf is attacking the sheep. But the boy just laughs – there was no wolf; he was just bored and wanted drama. Then one day a wolf really *does* come. But this time when the boy cries out, ‘Wolf! Wolf!’, nobody goes to help him because they think he is lying again. So the wolf eats the sheep, and the boy loses his job. These days we use the expression ‘to cry wolf’ to mean ‘to create unnecessary drama by asking for help when you don’t really need it’. It’s a negative expression.
Example:
A: Let’s go! Joanna says there’s a poisonous spider in the kitchen!
B: Don’t listen to her. Joanna is just crying wolf. Last week she said she discovered she had a very rare, infectious disease. She just wants attention.
Talking Point(s):
Have you ever wasted time on someone who was crying wolf?
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