Over the last few weeks, I’ve started exploring common phrases that reference wolves. (Links to previous ones are below.)

This week I am exploring the phrase “Cry wolf.” The phrase, which means to cause undue alarm, is derived from the Aesop fable, The boy who cried wolf, in which a lonely young herded cries wolf repeatedly because he is lonely. When the real wolf shows, no one believes him, and he’s …in trouble.

Cry wolf is a common phrase today and has inspired the names of at least three films: the 1947-murder-mystery Cry Wolf, the 1983 film Never Cry Wolf (based on an autobiography of the same name), and Cry Wolf, a slasher from 2005.

This subject was inspired by #WerewolfWednesday, which I hold each week on my Facebook page.

Also see:

• Keep the wolf from the door
• Wolf in sheep’s clothing

Humans have a long and sordid history with wolves. As I explore these phrases, I’ll note that much of the danger of wolves is mythology. Wolf fact can be found here.