To show and hypocritical grief; to pretend to be sad or sorry

When his rich uncle died, leaving him all his money, John shed crocodile tears

Quando il suo ricchissimo zio è morto, lasciandolo erede universale, Giovanni ha versato lacrime di coccodrillo

When the star of the show fell ill, the understudy for a few moments shed crocodile tears saying she was in despair, but in no time at all she was ready to seize the opportunity of a lifetime

Quando la star dello spettacolo si è ammalata, la sostituta per pochi istanti ha versato lacrime di coccodrillo dicendosi disperata, ma subito dopo era pronta a cogliere l'occasione della sua vita

The child wasn't hurt, but he shed crocodile tears to attract attention

Il bambino non si era fatto male, ma ha pianto lacrime di coccodrillo per essere al centro dell'attenzione

According to ancient folk beliefs, a crocodile moans and sobs like a person in great distress in order to lure a man into its reach, and then, after devouring him, sheds bitter tears over the sad fate of his victim. Part of this belief is found in ancient Greek and Latin literature, so it was natural that in early days, untraveled Englishmen, to whom the crocodile was unknown, accepted the belief as a real fact