A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing


🗓️ Idiom: A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing (n)


💬 Meaning

  • Someone who appears kind or honest but is actually dangerous or dishonest.
  • A person who hides their true bad intentions behind a friendly or harmless appearance.

🧠 Example Sentences

  • The investor seemed helpful, but he turned out to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
  • Don’t be fooled by her friendly tone—she’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing in business meetings.
  • The new partner was a wolf in sheep’s clothing and stole confidential data.

🏛️ Origin

This idiom comes from one of Aesop’s fables, written over 2,000 years ago. In the story, a wolf dresses in sheep’s skin to trick the flock. The phrase is now used to describe people who pretend to be good but have harmful intentions.


📝 Practice Exercises

1. Fill in the blank:

The new manager gained everyone’s trust, but he was really __________.

Answer

a wolf in sheep’s clothing

2. Choose the correct meaning of “a wolf in sheep’s clothing”:

A) A person who wears fancy clothes
B) A person who pretends to be good but is not
C) A leader who is very quiet

Answer

B) A person who pretends to be good but is not

3. Rewrite the sentence using the idiom:

“He acted friendly, but secretly planned to cheat the company.” → Change the sentence using: a wolf in sheep’s clothing

Answer

He acted friendly but was a wolf in sheep’s clothing.


ℹ️ Other Useful Pages

📚 Learning Resources
👉 Ethics Idioms for Business
👉 Business English Idioms List

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