# A Sheep in Sheep's Clothing _Jan 10, 2026_  A few years ago, I spent a week watching the first season of [The Crown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crown_%28TV_series%29), and a line stuck out to me that made me chuckle. While I don't remember the exact context, the Labour opposition candidate contra Winston Churchill, Clement Attlee, was reminded that Winston referred to him as ["a sheep in sheep's clothing."](https://8flix.com/assets/transcripts/t/tt4786824/The-Crown-episode-script-transcript-season-1-04-Act-of-God.pdf). Upon some cursory research, the quote [appears to be real](https://origins.osu.edu/review/sheep-sheep-s-clothing). I considered this to be yet another example of Churchill's wit, but didn't realize the line is likely more specific. As a member of the Labour Party, Clement Attlee was involved in the British socialist [Fabian Society](https://fabians.org.uk/about-us/our-history/#:~:text=Clement%20Attlee). At the time, the coat of arms for the Fabian Society was a wolf in sheep's clothing (see above). More information about why this was chosen as their coat of arms can be found [on the Wikipedia article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fabian_Society#Establishment). It seems that Churchill was doing more than simply goading Attlee as a man of little threat... he was, specifically, poking fun at his membership in a subversive organization, while not possessing the temerity to subvert!