Hue and Cry
Preserved but no longer current.
The old legal name for the official outcry made when calling for assistance "with horn and with voice,** in the pursuit of a criminal escaping from justice (O.Fr. huer, to shout). Persons failing to respond when the "hue and cry" was raised were liable to penalties; hence, a clamour or outcry, a cry of alarm.
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 “Hue and Cry” mean?
The old legal name for the official outcry made when calling for assistance "with horn and with voice,** in the pursuit of a criminal escaping from justice (O.Fr. huer, to shout). Persons failing to respond when the "hue and cry" was raised were liable to penalties; hence, a clamour or outcry, a cry of alarm.
Is “Hue and Cry” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.