Hue and cry
Suggest a CorrectionMeaning
A loud public outcry, alarm or protest raised collectively against a person or event. Often implies noisy or excessive protest. The historical phrase described both the alarm and the compulsory pursuit that followed it. Regional use: English common-law origin; now general English.
Origin
In medieval English law, raising hue and cry summoned the community to pursue a suspected offender. The Statute of Winchester of 1285 reinforced duties to raise and follow the cry, with local responsibility for failures. As organized policing replaced that communal mechanism, the legal expression broadened to any clamorous alarm or collective protest.
Research Sources
Variants
- Raise a hue and cry
- Set up a hue and cry
Usage Examples
- The proposed toll raised a hue and cry throughout the valley.
- A hue and cry went up when the market clock disappeared.
- They set up a hue and cry before checking whether the missing deed was merely misfiled.