cry someone a river

English

Etymology

Probably from the song Cry Me a River (1953).[1]

Pronunciation

Audio (AU) (file)

Verb

cry someone a river (third-person singular simple present cries someone a river, present participle crying someone a river, simple past and past participle cried someone a river)

(idiomatic, often sarcastic) To weep profusely or excessively in the presence of another person.
- 2008 March 4, Michele Hanson, “I cry over anything lately”, in The Guardian‎:
  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.
(idiomatic, usually sarcastic, by extension) To try to obtain the sympathy of another person by complaining or sniveling.
- 1968, A. B. Geraci, "Letter to Editor: PAT Should End Its Free Passes," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 3 Oct., p. 16, (retrieved 20 Oct. 2008):
  Port Authority Transit should cry me a river. Before raising fares it should cut an unnecessary expense.

Translations

to weep profusely or excessively in the presence of another person

German: jemandem ordentlich was vorheulen
Italian: piagnucolare (it)
Russian: пла́каться в жиле́тку (ru) (plákatʹsja v žilétku, literally “cry into a waistcoat”)
Walloon: tchoûler come ene Madlinne (wa)

to try to obtain the sympathy of another person by complaining or sniveling

German: auf die Tränendrüse drücken (de)
Spanish: qué pena me das (literally “how you give me pain”)

References

Arthur Hamilton (lyrics and music) (1953), “Cry Me a River”: “Now you say you're lonely / You cry the long night through / Well, you can cry me a river / Cry me a river / I cried a river over you”

[1] Arthur Hamilton (lyrics and music) (1953), “Cry Me a River”: “Now you say you're lonely / You cry the long night through / Well, you can cry me a river / Cry me a river / I cried a river over you”