Crying wolf is crying for help when there is no danger not when there is a danger just at different place.
replyThat's not pedantic, that's the meaning of the idiom.
If you stipulate that everyone must be relaxing at the time, sure. But the core concept of crying wolf is IMO simply a false alert with no particular constraints placed on those responding. I think in this case it simultaneously qualifies as crying wolf as well as misdirection.
replydeleted
replyBut this isn't a false alert. The alert is real, people just got misdirected.
replyThink of it like this: if this same story was happening a couple of centuries ago, pre-Internet, this person who just got arrested would have been sitting at their balcony, crying "the wolf is here! down at the intersection!" ; causing the hunting team to waste time.
replyYou don't get to chose pedanticism when it suits you. Please stop.
replyIt was a false alert in that particular place. I doubt those residents who were alerted had felt like they were previously in immediate danger.
replyThis is real life there's always a danger just at a different place.
replywhat if the real criers of wolves were the sheeple we misled along the way?
reply