wolfish
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
wolf/wʊlf/
▶noun (pl. wolves)
- 1 a carnivorous mammal which is the largest member of the dog family, living and hunting in packs. [Canis lupus.]
■ used in names of similar or related mammals, e.g. Tasmanian wolf.
- 2 a rapacious or ferocious person.
■ informal a man who habitually seduces women.
- 3 an out-of-tune effect produced when playing particular notes or intervals on a musical instrument, caused either by the instrument's construction or by divergence from equal temperament.
– phrases
cry wolf raise repeated false alarms, so that a real cry for help is ignored. [with allusion to the fable of the shepherd boy who deluded people with false cries of ‘Wolf!’.]
hold (or have) a wolf by the ears be in a precarious position.
keep the wolf from the door have enough money to avert hunger or destitution.
throw someone to the wolves sacrifice someone so as to avert trouble for oneself.
a wolf in sheep's clothing a person who appears friendly but is really hostile. [with biblical allusion to Matt. 7:15.]
cry wolf raise repeated false alarms, so that a real cry for help is ignored. [with allusion to the fable of the shepherd boy who deluded people with false cries of ‘Wolf!’.]
hold (or have) a wolf by the ears be in a precarious position.
keep the wolf from the door have enough money to avert hunger or destitution.
throw someone to the wolves sacrifice someone so as to avert trouble for oneself.
a wolf in sheep's clothing a person who appears friendly but is really hostile. [with biblical allusion to Matt. 7:15.]
– derivatives
wolfish adjective,
wolfishly adverb,
wolf-like adjective.
wolfish adjective,
wolfishly adverb,
wolf-like adjective.
– origin OE wulf, of Gmc origin.
'wolfish' also found in these Oxford entries:
