Dan
cry me river Hello, Can anyone help me on the expression above? In what situation do we use the expression? Thank you in advance
Nov 12, 2019 10:39 PM
Answers · 3
1
The expression is "Cry me a river" (not "cry me river"). It is a sarcastic and critical comment said to someone that you think is complaining excessively or moaning about something. You are sick of them going on and on about it. You are telling them to shut up and get over it. The speaker is saying sarcastically , you can cry, cry and cry (cry a river metaphorically), but it makes no difference to me. I don't want to hear it anymore. I've heard worse than that ! Person A: "My cat is sick, my wife won't talk to me ...(moan) ....(moan)... (moan)... Everything is going wrong.... (moan) ... (moan). Person B: "Cry me a river !" Shut up and get over it. You think you have it bad ??? I've had worse stuff happen to me all the time. Stop being a baby !!! (stop crying about it).
November 12, 2019
Hello Dan, the expression is "cry me a river". In general, it is used to express sarcastic or insincere empathy for a tough situation another person is going through, although usually the situation is not actually that tough, at least in the mind of the person who says "cry me a river". For example: A boy wants to go out to the movies with his friends. His mom says he can't go because he needs to study for a test the next day. Boy: "But if I don't go see this movie with my friends tonight, they will all be talking about it tomorrow, and I will be left out!" Mom: "Oh, cry me a river! You're staying home to study." Here, the boy is upset because he doesn't want to be left out of the movie. The mom does not think this is important, so she says "cry me a river" sarcastically to convey this and to imply that no matter how much the boy begs, and even if he cries, she will not let him go. Here are some more examples: https://www.theidioms.com/cry-me-a-river/ I hope that helps! Please let me know if anything is unclear.
November 12, 2019
Never in normal English. It's strange. There's a song "Cry me a river", which like many song lyrics makes up, or changes language. The idea is that someone cries so much that the tears make enough water to be a river.
November 12, 2019
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