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  1. Crocodile tears, or superficial sympathy, is a false, insincere display of emotion such as a hypocrite crying fake tears of grief. The phrase derives from an ancient belief that crocodiles shed tears while consuming their prey, and as such is present in many modern languages, especially in Europe where it was introduced through Latin.

  2. All of the very early citations refer directly to the myth of crocodiles weeping. It isn't until the 16th century that we find 'crocodile tears' used with our current figurative meaning - that is, one where no crocodiles are present. Edmund Grindal, Archbishop of York and of Canterbury was the first to use the phrase with the implication of ...

  3. Jan 31, 2024 · The meaning of CROCODILE TEARS is false or affected tears; also : hypocritical sorrow. How to use crocodile tears in a sentence.

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  5. Jan 7, 2024 · The origin of "crocodile tears" dates back to an ancient belief that crocodiles shed tears while consuming their prey. This belief was mentioned in various texts over the centuries, including by the English naturalist Sir John Mandeville and later by William Shakespeare in his works. It has since evolved into a metaphor for insincere displays ...

  6. Crocodile tears. The expression crocodile tears is used to describe a display of superficial or false sorrow or anguish about something that we don't really care about. The saying derives from a medieval belief that crocodiles shed tears of sadness while they kill and consume their prey. (We know this to be a crock .)

  7. When our TV in the living room stopped working, I shed crocodile tears, but honestly, I’ve been wanting to get a new TV for a while now. My wife’s mother-in-law will be moving across the country soon. The two of them rarely get along, so when she heard the news and acted upset, her crocodile tears weren’t fooling me.

  8. Jun 14, 2016 · Doctors often refer to this eye-watering condition as “crocodile tears,” and a 1920s Russian scientist once suggested that such weakened facial muscles allowed, in the words of Vliet, "older ...

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