Idiom
far cry
Meaning
A long distance, in terms of dissimilarity or difference.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“This small apartment is a far cry from my old house.”
“This cold, rainy weather is a far cry from the sunny forecast.”
“The new manager's polite style is a far cry from the way the previous boss treated the staff.”
“The cheap plastic toy I received is a far cry from the high-quality product shown in the online advertisement.”
“Winning only two games all season was a far cry from what the team expected after their expensive summer signings.”
“The quiet, peaceful life he leads in the countryside is a far cry from the frantic, high-pressure career he left behind in the city.”
Examples
simple
“This small apartment is a far cry from my old house.”
“This cold, rainy weather is a far cry from the sunny forecast.”
contextual
“The new manager's polite style is a far cry from the way the previous boss treated the staff.”
“The cheap plastic toy I received is a far cry from the high-quality product shown in the online advertisement.”
“Winning only two games all season was a far cry from what the team expected after their expensive summer signings.”
complex
“The quiet, peaceful life he leads in the countryside is a far cry from the frantic, high-pressure career he left behind in the city.”
Origin
The term originates as an allusion to the practice of dispatching messengers or criers throughout the territory of a Scottish clan. In a highland context, the distance was measured by the range at which a shout or summons could be conveyed to gather the kinsmen. A cry that failed to reach its mark indicated a distance of significant magnitude, and the phrase persists as a measurement of such an interval.
Key words
Related idioms
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