Idiom
wolf in sheep's clothing
Meaning
Someone who or something which is harmful or threatening but disguised as something peaceful or pleasant.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“Be careful, he is a wolf in sheep's clothing.”
“The charming new manager turned out to be a wolf in sheep's clothing who fired everyone after a week.”
“History is full of leaders who appeared benevolent to the public, only to be revealed as a wolf in sheep's clothing once they secured absolute power.”
Examples
simple
“Be careful, he is a wolf in sheep's clothing.”
contextual
“The charming new manager turned out to be a wolf in sheep's clothing who fired everyone after a week.”
complex
“History is full of leaders who appeared benevolent to the public, only to be revealed as a wolf in sheep's clothing once they secured absolute power.”
Origin
From Matthew 7:15 in the Bible (King James Version; spelling modernized): “Beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”
Key words
Related idioms
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