IdiomAnimals
English
Englishcrocodile tears
Meaning: False, exaggerated tears.
Example: “She shed crocodile tears at the funeral of the uncle she never visited.”
Equivalents in other languages
French: Des larmes de crocodile Literally: Crocodile tears
Origin: This expression comes from the ancient belief that crocodiles cry false tears to lure their prey.
More English idioms
- fat cat A rich but usually lazy person.
- fine kettle of fish A terrible mess.
- fly-by-night Undependable; untrustworthy.
- fly in the face of something To go against something; to show disrespect for something or someone.
- fly in the ointment An unpleasant element in an otherwise pleasant situation.
- fly off the handle To suddenly become very angry.
Explore another collection: Tongue Twisters
Tricky phrases to practice out loud, from languages around the world.
- Betty Botter bought some butter, but she said the butter's bitter. A 'b / t / tt' plosive drill that bounces between Betty, butter, and bitter.
- She sells seashells by the seashore. The definitive 's' versus 'sh' alternation — the tongue has to switch place of articulati…
- Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. A relentless 'p' plosive drill; a peck is an old dry measure of about nine litres.
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