Hue and cry

In the Middle Ages, under common law, if a person called out for help in pursuing a thief or other criminal, those people hearing the cry and failing to assist in the chase could be themselves adjudged guilty of a misdemeanor. The express hu e cri as it was in Anglo-Norman has long since become merely a synonym for loud outcry. The term always was somewhat redundant since hue comes from the Old French huer (to cry out) and cry obviously means the same thing.