crocodile tears
Phony public mourning
Crocodile tears are a false display of grief or sympathy.
The phrase comes from an old belief that crocodiles weep while devouring their prey.
Someone shedding crocodile tears pretends to feel sorry while actually being indifferent or even pleased: She cried crocodile tears at his funeral, then went straight to the lawyer about the will.
Feigning belief or feeling
- disingenuousFeigning ignorance or innocence
- fakeNot the real thing
- phonyFraudulent person or thing
- shamFraudulent imitation
false · pretense · affectation · feigned · hollow · superficial · put-on · contrived
Deliberate misleading of others
- duplicityDeliberate misleading behavior
- falsehoodDeliberate untrue statement
- fabricationDeliberately untrue statement
- dishonestyDisposition toward falsehood
trickery · charade · ruse · guile · artifice · misleading · untruthful · lying
Sensational, emotionally overwrought drama
- histrionicsExaggerated emotional behavior
- overactingExcessive theatrical performance
- dramaticsTheatrical art or behavior
- performanceCarrying out a task
spectacle · showmanship · grandstanding · hamming · emoting · playacting · exaggeration · sobbing
Inclined toward deception
- schemingCrafty and calculating
- calculatingColdly self-serving in strategy
- cunningSly, scheming cleverness
- wilesDeceptive stratagems
ploy · gambit · tactics · exploit · machination · subterfuge · ulterior · conniving
insincere
Feigning belief or feeling
- disingenuousFeigning ignorance or innocence
- fakeNot the real thing
- phonyFraudulent person or thing
sham · false · pretense · affectation · feigned · hollow · superficial · put-on · contrived · artificial
deceit
Deliberate misleading of others
- duplicityDeliberate misleading behavior
- falsehoodDeliberate untrue statement
- fabricationDeliberately untrue statement
dishonesty · trickery · charade · ruse · guile · artifice · misleading · untruthful · lying · fraudulent
melodrama
Sensational, emotionally overwrought drama
- histrionicsExaggerated emotional behavior
- overactingExcessive theatrical performance
- dramaticsTheatrical art or behavior
performance · spectacle · showmanship · grandstanding · hamming · emoting · playacting · exaggeration · sobbing · wailing
guileful
Inclined toward deception
- schemingCrafty and calculating
- calculatingColdly self-serving in strategy
- cunningSly, scheming cleverness
wiles · ploy · gambit · tactics · exploit · machination · subterfuge · ulterior · conniving · strategic
- fake emotionsfake smile, feigned interest, false modesty, feigned surprise, forced laugh
- AllusionsAchilles heel, Pandora's box, Trojan horse, forbidden fruit, Midas touch
- non-apologiesnon-apology, fauxpology, sorry not sorry, mistakes were made, sorry but
- Animal Idiomsblind as a bat, brave as a lion, busy bee, copycat, dark horse
- cryingcry, crying, sob, sobbing, sobs
- dirty trickscheating, lying, deceit, trickery, deception
crocodile tearscandor
Unguarded truthfulness
sincerity · authenticity · honesty · good faith · genuineness
tears, tearful, crocodile, crocodiles, teardrop, tearfully, crocodile's, crocodilian