crocodile tears

Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Legal, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

Related to crocodile tears: crocodile tears syndrome

tears

[tērz]

the watery, slightly alkaline and saline secretion of the lacrimal glands that moistens the conjunctiva. See also lacrimal apparatus.

crocodile tears see syndrome of crocodile tears.

croc·o·dile tears syn·drome

a flow of tears, usually unilateral, on eating or the anticipation of eating; this happens when nerve fibers originally destined for a salivary gland are damaged and regrow, aberrantly, into the lacrimal gland.

crocodile tears

Tears and excessive saliva produced during eating. This condition is present when nerve fibers of the salivary glands grow abnormally into the lacrimal glands following Bell (seventh nerve) palsy.

See also: tear

Mentioned in ?

References in periodicals archive ?

She suffered some paralysis and fought to regain mobility in her body and face, but a partial facial paralysis remained and the crocodile tears developed as a side effect.

Brit woman who cries 'crocodile tears' when she eats cured by Botox jabs!

Some of them were sweating so much it was starting to wash off the crocodile tears of their sob stories.

It's finally hotting up

CROCODILE tears are the most cynical form of regret, and it is hard to feel too much sympathy for robber Richard Dawson, jailed for eight and a half years for targeting 20 victims in two months.

Time to reflect

Instead they wave the white flag and cry crocodile tears as they lament the demise of public services.

Fight harder for council services; Letters

The politicians in London will cry their crocodile tears, the same way as the members of Stockton Labour Party do when they confirm their Act of Covenant with the armed forces in the town hall.

A pointless war; Your say

Rather than crying crocodile tears over such schemes, what he and the Government should be doing is making it illegal for British subjects and corporations to use offshore banking arrangements.

Close tax havens; & COMMENT DEBATE YOUR LETTERS TO THE NATIONAL NEWSPAPER OF WALES

SO much for the crocodile tears and manufactured remorse shown by Vincent Tabak during his trial for the murder of Joanna Yeates.

A lying beast

His 'frustration' at the Government is nothing more than crocodile tears.

He's worried about votes; Your shout

So crocodile tears over this act of social vandalism are inappropriate.

Crocodile tears; Mailbag letters also appear online at www.examiner.co.uk/views-and-blogs/reader-letters

Maulana Abdul Aziz said those behind Lal Masjid carnage were shedding crocodile tears adding they were mistaken if they understand that they would stand exonerated from their crime by expressing some remarks of sympathy.

Naib Khateeb Lal Masjid appeals to Chief justice of Pakistan to take suo moto notice of Lal Masjid carnage

Be assured, it's overblown and unintentionally funny, milking crocodile tears from half the supporting characters.