Fable 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 alternate 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." Usage Winston Churchill once described a political opponent (either Clement Atlee or Ramsay MacDonald depending upon sources) as a sheep in sheep's clothing. [1] The image of a wolf in sheep's clothing is common in many cultures, such as it being echoed in Matthew 7:15, which states, "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." (KJV)[2]. The punk band NOFX released an album entitled Wolves in Wolves' Clothing in 2006. The phrase was also the inspiration behind the Airwolf series from the 1980s. References
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