wolf in sheep's clothing

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

a person who conceals dangerous, malicious, or self-serving intentions behind a harmless or virtuous outward appearance, using the trust and openness of others as a tool for exploitation or harm; from Aesop's fable of the wolf who dresses in a fleece to infiltrate a flock of sheep, and cited in Matthew 7:15 in the context of false prophets who appear gentle but are inwardly destructive; the phrase is among the oldest and most widely recognised warnings in Western culture against mistaking surface presentation for true character, and remains in active use in discussions of political deception, corporate fraud, and interpersonal manipulation