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Chris -- 2025-05-10
The “hue and cry” was apparently a sort of medieval Amber Alert raised in pursuit of felons. I assume (but don’t know) that the pairing of the two words was born of the Norman habit of coupling French and English words in legal contexts (“devise and bequeath” “give and convey” “will and testament” etc.). “Human cry” seems like a tidy transition, since technology has made the “hue and cry” obsolete, to a description of a community’s anguish and anger over felonious acts.
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Those who reach this eggcorn website lately are at a distinct disadvantage of finding their ideas posted already by someone else. (Human Cry / Hue and cry) can be found in the Eggcorn database…
http://eggcorns.lascribe.net/english/502/human-cry/
Even so, I liked your discussion about French and English words and it reminded me of this…
http://www.panopticist.com/archives/20.html
Last edited by jorkel (2006-10-10 12:55:59)
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“Human cry” sighted in a politician’s remarks:
“Our legislators heard the human cry from constituents who were very dismayed to see that there was a loophole in the previous legislation that allowed the developers to build a segregated building even though taxpayers’ dollars were involved,†Rosenthal said.
—http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015 … nants-rent
It certainly makes more sense here than “hue and cry” would.
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