Definition

Noun: 1. A loud public outcry or protest: A strong expression of public anger, alarm, or protest about something, often characterized by noisy and insistent demands for action.

Usage

• The term is used to describe a widespread, vocal, and often agitated public reaction to a perceived wrong, injustice, or controversial event.
• It is typically used in singular form: "a hue and cry," "the hue and cry."
• It often implies that the reaction is emotional, insistent, and difficult to ignore.

Examples

• The government's new policy raised a great hue and cry from opposition parties and the public.
• Despite the hue and cry in the media, the company refused to change its decision.
• The scandal caused such a hue and cry that the minister was forced to resign.

Advanced Usage

• To raise a hue and cry: This is the most common verbal phrase associated with the term, meaning to instigate or start a public outcry.
  • Example: Activists raised a hue and cry over the environmental damage.

Variants and Related Words

• Outcry (n): A strong expression of public disapproval or anger. (A more common and direct synonym).
• Clamor (n): A loud and confused noise, especially that of people shouting; a vehement protest or demand.
• Uproar (n): A loud and impassioned noise or disturbance, typically caused by a crowd.

Synonyms

• Outcry
• Clamor
• Uproar
• Protest
• Hullabaloo

Notes on Meaning

• The phrase originates from an old English legal term where "hue and cry" was a call for the pursuit of a criminal, with bystanders obliged to join the chase. Its modern meaning retains the sense of a loud, communal, and demanding call to action, though now it is almost always figurative, referring to protest rather than literal pursuit.

Noun

1. loud and persistent outcry from many people
   • he ignored the clamor of the crowd