cry someone a river

present singular third person cries someone a river · participle present crying someone a river · participle past cried someone a river · past cried someone a river

1. idiomaticoftensarcasticTo weep profusely or excessively in the presence of another person.

   1 more example

   It is rather shaming to be quite so wet over nothing in particular, but at least Fielding does it too. He cries gallons over slow-motion bits at the ends of films, especially Gladiator, and begins to worship Roman values, then Italian footballers kissing in slo-mo to the strains of Nessun Dorma. Sniffle, sniffle. And QPR being relegated in 1996. He can cry you a river over that one, and over a darling little clump of daffodils growing by the traffic island.

   2008 March 4, Michele Hanson, “I cry over anything lately”, in The Guardian

2. broadlyidiomaticsarcasticusuallyTo try to obtain the sympathy of another person by complaining or sniveling.

   Port Authority Transit should cry me a river. Before raising fares it should cut an unnecessary expense.

   1968 October 3, A. B. Geraci, “Letter to Editor: PAT Should End Its Free Passes”, in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, retrieved 20 Oct 2008, page 16