great cry and little wool
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A proverbial saying expressive of contempt or derision for one who promises great things but never fulfils the promises.
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 “great cry and little wool” mean?
A proverbial saying expressive of contempt or derision for one who promises great things but never fulfils the promises.
Is “great cry and little wool” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.