hue and cry

/ˌ(h)ju ən ˌkraɪ/

Other forms: hue and cries

A hue and cry is a loud outcry about something. If people are riled up and speaking out, there's a hue and cry.

Originally, a hue and cry was a call, by the victim, for the police to go after a felon. Since then, this is any kind of clamoring. During the Watergate scandal, there was a hue and cry to impeach Nixon. Whenever there's a shooting incident, there's a hue and cry for gun control. When there's a terrorist attack, there's a hue and cry for better security.

Definitions of hue and cry

1. noun

   loud and persistent outcry from many people
   synonyms: clamor, clamoring, clamour, clamouring

   type of:

   call, cry, outcry, shout, vociferation, yell

   a loud utterance; often in protest or opposition