about wolf

Never cry wolf refers to the story of a little boy who would yell "wolf!" just to see people get excited. Finally, a real wolf came along, and no one believed him when he yelled wolf, so he was killed by the wolf.

"Never cry wolf" means don't make false charges, don't make trouble with false stories.

The noun wolf is also used as a verb, meaning to eat very rapidly, and in a crude manner--"He wolfed down the meal in minutes."

"A wolf in sheep's clothing" means something which seems harmless (sheep's clothing), but which is actually bad or dangerous (a wolf).

"The wolf is at the door" refers to extreme poverty, and "keeping the wolf from the door" means working to stay out of poverty.