cry wolf
To raise a false alarmTo raise a false alarm; to constantly warn others about an imagined threat, thereby failing to get assistance when a real threat appears.
» We can't afford to cry wolf.
Meaning
1 senses(idiomatic)To raise a false alarm; to constantly warn others about an imagined threat, thereby failing to get assistance when a real threat appears.
The politicians would cry wolf at the slightest provocation so when the real threat appeared no one believed them.
falschen Alarm schlagen, falschen Alarm auslösen
Examples
13 sentencesWe can't afford to cry wolf.
Have you ever heard the story of the boy who cried wolf?
ruТы когда-нибудь слышал историю о мальчике, который кричал "Волки, волки!"?
He's just crying wolf again.
Він знову кричав вовк.
Tom is just crying wolf again.
Critics are just crying wolf about protectionism.
Translations
5 languagesBy meaning 1
Origin
From the fable The Boy Who Cried Wolf, where a little boy amuses himself by repeatedly cryFrom the fable The Boy Who Cried Wolf, where a little boy amuses himself by repeatedly crying "wolf" to see the panic he causes in the community, but is consequently ignored when he tries to alert them to a real wolf.
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Forms
cries wolf, crying wolf, cried wolf, cried wolf| Base form | cry wolf · to cry wolf |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | cries wolf |
| Present participle | crying wolf |
| Past simple | cried wolf |
| Past participle | cried wolf |
irregular
Lessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle