cry someone a river en · VERB
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
Probably from the song Cry Me a River (1953).
Meanings
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(idiomatic, often, sarcastic) To weep profusely or excessively in the presence of another person.
It is rather shaming to be quite so wet over nothing in particular, but at least Fielding does it too. He cries gallons over slow-motion bits at the ends of films, especially Gladiator, and begins to worship Roman values, then Italian footballers kissing in slo-mo to the strains of Nessun Dorma. Sniffle, sniffle. And QPR being relegated in 1996. He can cry you a river over that one, and over a darling little clump of daffodils growing by the traffic island.
2008 March 4, Michele Hanson, “I cry over anything lately”, in The Guardian:
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(broadly, idiomatic, sarcastic, usually) To try to obtain the sympathy of another person by complaining or sniveling.
Port Authority Transit should cry me a river. Before raising fares it should cut an unnecessary expense.
1968 October 3, A. B. Geraci, “Letter to Editor: PAT Should End Its Free Passes”, in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, retrieved 20 Oct 2008, page 16:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| cried someone a river | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| cried someone a river | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| cries someone a river | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| crying someone a river | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic |
Relateds
crocodile tears · crying game · Crimea river · build a bridge and get over it · crocodile tear
Translations (10)
pl popłakać się (to weep profusely or excessively in the presence of another person) · de auf die Tränendrüse drücken (to try to obtain the sympathy of another person by complaining or sniveling) · es qué pena me das (to try to obtain the sympathy of another person by complaining or sniveling) · pl nie popłacz się (to try to obtain the sympathy of another person by complaining or sniveling) · de jemandem ordentlich was vorheulen (to weep profusely or excessively in the presence of another person) · fi kitistä (to try to obtain the sympathy of another person by complaining or sniveling) · it piagnucolare (to weep profusely or excessively in the presence of another person) · fi voi kyynel (to weep profusely or excessively in the presence of another person) · fi pillittää (to weep profusely or excessively in the presence of another person) · wa tchoûler come ene Madlinne (to weep profusely or excessively in the presence of another person)