crocodile tears
Preserved but no longer current.
Hypocritical tears. The tale is, that crocodiles moan and sigh like a person in deep distress, to allure travellers to the spot, and even shed tears over their prey while in the act of devouring it.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “crocodile tears” mean?
Hypocritical tears. The tale is, that crocodiles moan and sigh like a person in deep distress, to allure travellers to the spot, and even shed tears over their prey while in the act of devouring it.
Is “crocodile tears” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.