ProverbHuman Nature
English originc. 1470
English originc. 1470Great cry and little wool.
Meaning: Loud complaints about shearing yield disappointingly meager results, warning against mistaking noise for substance.
Origin: Short for "great cry and little wool, as the devil said when he sheared the hogs." Pigs squeal loudly when handled but give no wool, so the saying describes a great fuss with nothing to show for it. The lawyer Sir John Fortescue used it around 1470, comparing a disappointing royal income to the man who sheared his hog: much cry and little wool.
Equivalents in German, Italian, and Dutch
German: Viel Geschrei und wenig Wolle (literally: Much bleating and little wool)
Italian: Assai romor e poca lana, disse colui che tosava la porca (literally: Great cry and little wool, as the man said who shaved the sow)
Dutch: Veel geschreeuw en weinig wol (literally: Much shouting and little wool)
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