"To shed crocodile tears"/ Get to know the history of the expression

2023-10-01 20:53:00, Blog CNA

Today, when someone accuses another person of shedding "crocodile tears", they are saying, in other words, that the latter is showing false or insincere grief.

But how did this famous phrase come about?

The answer to this question brings us back to a strange medieval myth, based on a widely read journey, and later cemented in literary history through the works of the English writer William Shakespeare.

It was first encountered in the work "The Travels of Sir John Mandeville"

The roots of this phrase go back to the 14th century, and are closely related to the extremely popular account of "The Travels of Sir John Mandeville". This journey, based on the adventures of the brave knight in Asia, served as a treasure trove of amazing discoveries, but more so for fictional accounts.

A case in point was the detailed depiction of crocodiles as snakes shedding tears of sadness as they mercilessly kill and consume their prey. This type of portrayal tended to add an element of remorse to the nature of this predatory animal. Mandevil wrote full of imagination: "These kinds of snakes kill people and eat them while crying, and they have no tongue to express themselves". Although fascinating, this description is scientifically inaccurate. Crocodiles actually have their own tongue. And while they may shed tears, it has nothing to do with emotion. However, this story managed to weave itself into the fabric of literary history, enthralling readers with a unique mixture of horror and sensitivity, prompted precisely by the image of the crying crocodiles.

From Shakespeare in modern language

The myth of the crying crocodile traveled through time, and left its strong imprint on the works of the master of speech and literature, William Shakespeare. It was through his great plays and comedies of the 16th century that "crocodile tears" evolved from a medieval tale into a popular idiom portraying feigned sadness.

In "Othello", one of his famous plays, this expression was used to indicate mock lamentations, giving the idiom a wider spectrum of use. Over the centuries,

this term has become a familiar part of the English language and beyond, used to describe insincere displays of emotion. The story of this famous expression is an example of how fictional stories can create phrases that convey human behavior and emotions in everyday language./ Adapted from CNA