- skip - Brewer’s

Cry

.

Great cry and little wool. This is derived from the ancient mystery of David and Abigail, in which Nabal is represented as shearing his sheep, and the Devil, who is made to attend the churl, imitates the act by “shearing a hog.” Originally, the proverb ran thus, “Great cry and little wool, as the Devil said when he sheared the hogs.” N. B.—Butler alters the proverb into “All cry and no wool.”

 

previous entry · index · next entry

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Entry taken from Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, edited by the Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D. and revised in 1895.

previous entry · index · next entry

Crush-room (The)
Crusoe (A)
Crust
Crusted Port
Crusty
Crutched Friars
Crux (A)
Crux Ansata
Crux Decussata
Crux Pectoralis
Cry
Cry of Animals (The)
Cry (To)
Cry Cavē (To)
Cry Havock!
Cry Quits
Cry Vinegar (To)
Cry Wolf
Crystal Hills
Crystalline
Cub

Linking here:

Great Cry and Little Wool
Milk
Spilt Milk