scream bloody murder

Idioms and Phrases

Angrily protest as loudly as possible, as in When Jimmy took her teddy bear, Lauren screamed bloody murder , or Residents are screaming bloody murder about the increase in property taxes . The scream here may be either literal (as in the first example) or figurative, which is also true of invoking murder as though one were in danger of being killed. Versions of this term, such as cry murder , date from the 1400s.

Example Sentences

But “if you weigh in, someone is going to scream bloody murder that you wrote this a certain way to favor your perspective.”

From Los Angeles Times

“They knew if this happens, we were going to scream bloody murder,” Whatley said last year.

From Seattle Times

I would have expected the right, which even defends violent terrorists' right to bear arms, to scream bloody murder that someone was charged for lying on a background check or required to give up their right to own a gun.

From Salon

Which is why IRS agents are being hired with funding in the Inflation Reduction Act, leading Republicans to scream bloody murder over Democrats getting too tough on crime.

From Salon

“It doesn’t mean I’m going to scream bloody murder, but I think it can lead us to a much more balanced system.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• howl
• peep
• rasp
• screech
• shriek
• squawk
• wail
• yelp