"Wolf in sheep's clothing": Example
Linda meets with her friend Jana at her home. They meet Max, Linda's younger brother, in the kitchen. He introduces himself very kindly to Jana and shakes her hand.
Jana is very impressed by her brother's charm: "Linda, you always talk about your brother being such a cheeky villain. I think he's very nice." Linda replies: "Just don't be fooled by it. Max is like a wolf in sheep's clothing, he can easily pretend."
"Wolf in sheep's clothing": meaning
A "wolf in sheep's clothing" means a person who looks harmless and innocent and / or behaves, but you should be wary ofbecause it is more dangerous than it appears.
Often selfish or greedy people are often referred to as wolves in sheep's clothing because they know exactly how to manipulate other people and how to cleverly hide their own intentions.
"Wolf in sheep's clothing": origin
The phrase "wolf in sheep's clothing" originally comes from the Bible. It appeared in a sermon from Jesus in the New Testament: "But beware of the false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inside they are ravening wolves." (Mt 7:15)
Jesus shows that one Do not judge people based on their appearance but based on their actions and behavior. A Latin proverb says: "A wolfish meaning is often hidden under the skin of a sheep."
The greek rhetoric nikephoros basilakis also showed in the 12th century under the heading: "You can get into trouble with disguise" following story on:
"A wolf decided to get more food by changing his appearance. He covered himself with sheep's clothing and accompanied the herd to the pasture. The shepherd was fooled by the disguise. When night fell, the shepherd locked the wolf and the rest of the herd with a grate safely in the sheep pen, but when the shepherd brought a sheep for his supper, he took the knife and killed the wolf. ”
Overall there is some versions and variations history. In some the wolf even disguises itself as a shepherd and is also discovered and killed by it. So the phrase ultimately has two important messages.
- Don't be too gullibleby judging a person by what they did, not how they appeared.
- If you try to deceive others to your advantage, sooner or later you will be punished.
Similar phrases:
- Fool someone
- Fool someone
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