1
general::
Also, cry out for;have a crying need for. Be in urgent need of, as in This wall cries for a second coat of paint, or This car is crying out for a good washing, or There is a crying need for order in this house. The figurative use of cry for, literally meaning "implore" or "weep for," dates from the late 1500s, as does the use of crying for "demanding attention." The first variant, alluding to actually shouting out one's needs or desires, dates from the second half of the 1800s.
American Heritage Idioms
2
general::
Phrase(s): cry for someone or something
1. to weep for the absence or loss of someone or something. • No need to cry for me. Take care of yourself. • She cried for her lost cat. 2. to shout a demand for someone or something. • She cried for help, but no one heard her. • Tony cried for Walter, but he did not hear. 3. to cry or bawl, signaling the need or want for someone or something. (As done by a baby.) • The baby cried for a bottle. • Little Jimmy was crying for his mother.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs