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  What it means

  Literally “crocodile tears.” Insincere tears or false grief — crying to manipulate others while feeling no genuine emotion. Identical to the English “crocodile tears.”

  Vocabulary

  • krokodyl — crocodile
  • łzy — tears (plural of łza)

  Grammar note

  'Krokodyle' is the adjective from 'krokodyl' — nominative plural agreeing with 'łzy'.

  Cultural context

  The belief that crocodiles weep while eating their prey goes back to ancient times — the phrase is shared across European languages.

  Beginner

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