The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
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The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing is one of the fables of Aesop.
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[edit] Fable
According to the fable, a hungry wolf came upon a sheep's fleece lying on the ground in a field. The wolf realized that if it wore the fleece, it would look like a sheep from a distance. That would enable the wolf to sneak up on a flock of sheep and steal a lamb for its supper, before the shepherd noticed his presence.
The wolf put on the fleece, and went off in search of a flock of sheep. It spied a flock of sheep just as the sun was setting, and approached the flock. Just as it was about to pounce on a lamb, a shepherd came by, looking for a sheep to slaughter for supper. Thinking the disguised wolf was a sheep, the shepherd quickly grabbed and killed the wolf.
An alternative version is, another wolf is sneaking around looking for a sheep for dinner, and pounces on the wolf in sheep's clothing, killing it and eating it for supper instead of a real sheep.
The intended lesson was, "Frauds and liars are always discovered, eventually, and pay for their actions accordingly." The moral is sometimes also told as "The evil doer often comes to harm through his own deceit".
[edit] Usage
In English, "a wolf in sheep's clothing" has become a common metaphor for any hidden danger, or for any enemy putting on a false display of friendship.
Winston Churchill once ironically described a Labour political opponent (either Clement Attlee or Ramsay MacDonald depending upon sources) as a sheep in sheep's clothing.[1]
The punk band NOFX released an album entitled Wolves in Wolves' Clothing in 2006.
Alternative Rock band Garbage use the lyric "I am a wolf, but I like to wear sheep's clothing" on the track 'Temptation Waits' from their sophomore album Version 2.0.
The phrase was also the inspiration behind the Airwolf series from the 1980s.
The Big Bad Wolf used this disguise tactic in Disney'sThree Little Pigs in an attempt to fool Fifer and Fiddler Pigs.
"Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" is a song by This Providence.
"A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" is also a song by Face To Face, a punk rock band from Victorville, California.
"A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" is the title to an album by rap group Black Sheep.
"Wear Wolf" is the title to a song by Floridian band Soldier City Legends where they mention being a wolf in sheep's clothing.
The Polkadot Cadaver song "Wolf in jesus skin" is a reference to this story.
Josephine Foster also released an album entitled A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
Industrial band KMFDM mentions the lyrics "A wolf in sheep's clothing" in their song "Megalomaniac"
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[edit] References
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