crocodile tears

noun

1. (used with a plural verb) a hypocritical show of sorrow; insincere tears.
2. (used with a singular verb) Pathology. spontaneous tearing initiated by tasting or chewing food, occurring as a result of facial paralysis.

crocodile tears

plural noun

1. an insincere show of grief; false tears

crocodile tears

1. An insincere show of sympathy or sadness; crocodiles were once thought to “weep” large tears before they ate their victims: “Don't shed any crocodile tears for Fisher; I know you were responsible for his firing.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of crocodile tears¹

First recorded in 1555–65; so called from the ancient belief that crocodiles shed tears while eating their victims

Word History and Origins

Origin of crocodile tears¹

from the belief that crocodiles wept over their prey to lure further victims

Idioms and Phrases

An insincere display of grief, as in When the play's star broke her leg, her understudy wept crocodile tears . This term comes from the mistaken notion that crocodiles weep while eating their prey, one held in ancient Roman times. The actual term was picked up by Shakespeare and many other writers after him, and remains current. [Late 1500s]

Example Sentences

In their Wall Street Journal op-ed, Cruz and Britt shed crocodile tears over the fact that, following the Alabama decision, “confusion and misinformation has spread, inflamed by partisan commentary.”

From Los Angeles Times

For her self-pitying act, Ellis drew widespread disdain for her "crocodile tears" and "barefaced lies that could give a coyote gastric distress."

From Salon

My favorite in this vein is a passage in AstraZeneca’s lawsuit shedding crocodile tears over the impact of the negotiation program on the development of “orphan” drugs.

From Los Angeles Times

At the sentencing hearings for the five Proud Boys convicted for some of the most serious crimes related to the January 6 insurrection, the crocodile tears were flowing.

From Salon

Since then, he has systematically dismantled the team and allowed the stadium to fall apart, while he and Commissioner Manfred wept crocodile tears over the lack of fan support.

From Los Angeles Times