Crocodile tears

Represent an insincere show of sorrow or remorse and derive from the ancient and erroneous belief that crocodiles weep before devouring their prey. Crocodiles do have tear ducts and if these do come into play while feeding, one can safely surmise they would be tears of joy rather than remorse. The expression has been around from at least The Middle Ages and some say it was known to the Greeks and Romans, but these earlier citations refer to the myth itself. The first instance of its use as insincere sorrow is from the 16th century. Shakespeare makes mention of it in Henry VI Part II,