a cry for help

A conspicuous action, often characterized by aberrant behavior, that masks a conscious or subconscious need for help or attention. This young man's crime was not malevolently motivated; it was a cry for help that he did not know how to communicate.

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Katherine	KATH-ə-rin, KATH-rin	English
Ayr	[ɛə]
ZaÏRe	-	Literature
Onyekachi	-	Western African, Igbo
Rocco	ROK-ko (Italian)	Italian, Ancient Germanic
Ampelios	-	Ancient Greek