shed a tear

• IPA^(key): /ˈʃɛdəˈtɪə/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

shed a tear (third-person singular simple present sheds a tear, present participle shedding a tear, simple past and past participle shed a tear)

1. (idiomatic) To have a tear released, to cry (from sadness)
2. (UK, Ireland, slang, obsolete) To take a dram, or glass of spirits.
   • 1848, Thomas Frost, Paul the Poacher, page 118:

     Now, in coming down here, I journeyed part of the way with a jolly old cock, who shed a tear with me every time the coach stopped […]

• (cry): See also Thesaurus:weep

• shed tears

• (take a dram): 1873, John Camden Hotten, The Slang Dictionary