A shout and a shout historically referred to alerting the police and community members of a crime. Today, it can be used metaphorically to refer to sustained public attention resulting in justice. The term comes from Old French and was required in England during the Middle Ages. Communities encourage people to speak up and pursue cases to ensure public attention is drawn to an issue or criminal act. The term is sometimes confused with “hew and cry.”
A shout and a shout is a shout to draw attention to a situation. Historically, it was a literal protest; people screamed, honked their horns, and made other noises when a crime was committed to alert the police and inform other community members so they could take action. Today, the term can be used metaphorically, as in “there was a great deal of hype in the media when the documents were released.” It is often used to refer to situations where sustained public attention results in justice or another positive outcome to a situation.
This term comes from Old French and refers to a shout and sound of horns, dating back to an earlier Latin term. In England during the Middle Ages, people were actually required to raise their voices and cry when a crime was committed and to continue it while the criminal fled, until the criminal was caught. Essentially, every member of society had an obligation to help catch criminals, and penalties could be in place for not participating in one outcry and another.
The idea of being obligated to speak up and pursue a case to the end is no longer enshrined in law, but can be seen in the approach in many communities to situations deemed to be outrageous or disguised. People are asked to raise their voices to ensure public attention is drawn to an issue or criminal act. This can include lobbying law enforcement, shaming people who engage in socially inappropriate behavior, and pursuing cases that have failed so that justice can be done.
A real whoop and fuss can still occur, of course. When people observe crimes, they are encouraged to make noise to alert passers-by and get the attention of law enforcement. Raising a protest can sometimes help catch criminals and will definitely stop or stop a crime in progress. Communities also tend to be safer when people are more proactive in identifying and responding to criminal activity, as they become less attractive as potential targets for criminals.
This term is sometimes rendered as “hew and cry,” the result of confusion about its origins. Because this meaning of the word “hue” is outdated, it may not make sense to the ears, and people write the term in whatever spelling makes the most sense to them. This is a common phenomenon with sayings involving old-fashioned words with an etymology that has been forgotten by most of the population.
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