Imagine the hue and cry if someone let loose a snake in your classroom! Hue and cry is a cry of alarm or protest.
The protestors raised a hue and cry over the hike in petrol prices.
There was a great hue and cry over the decision to close the school.
The expression hue and cry dates back to 1200s. It originally referred to the legal practice of the English who pursued criminals with a tumult of men shouting, dogs baying and hunting horns sounding. It was the duty of any person cheated to raise a hue and cry so that his neighbours can come and assist him in his pursuit of the offender. Men who refused to assist in the hue and cry were subject to penalties.
Hue means shout but is now almost out of use. It is derived from the old French verb, huer. Hue is today used as a slightly formal or technical word for a colour or shade.
