E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Cry Vinegar (To).
In French, Crier Vinaigre. The shout of sportsmen when a hare is caught. He cries “Vinegar!” he has caught the hare; metaphorically it means, he has won success. “C’étoit, dit le Duchat, la coutume en Languedoc, entre les chasseurs, de s’écrier l’un à l’autre ‘Vinaigre,’ dès qu’ils avaient tiré un lièvre, parceque la vraie sauce de cet animal est le vinaigre.”
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Crier au Vinaigre has quite another meaning. It is the reproof to a landlord who serves his customers with bad wine. In a figurative sense it means Crier au Voleur.
