all mouth and trousers

English edit

Alternative forms edit

all mouth and no trousers

Etymology edit

From mouth, meaning "talk" rather than action, and trousers, presumably at the time of origin, a reference to masculinity, either as trousers as a male item of clothing, or a reference to the genitals.

Pronunciation edit

Audio (AU) (file)

Adjective edit

all mouth and trousers (not comparable)

(British, idiomatic) Superficial, engaging in empty, boastful talk, but not of real substance.
Synonyms: (vulgar) all fart and no shit, all fart and no poo

Translations edit

superficial

Catalan: molt soroll i poques nous
Finnish: ei suuret sanat suuta halkaise (proverb)
French: que de la gueule, rien dans le pantalon
German: große Klappe, nichts dahinter
Italian: tutto fumo e niente arrosto
Russian: брехня́ (ru) f (brexnjá), пуста́я бо́чка гро́мче греми́т (pustája bóčka grómče gremít)

References edit

Michael Quinion (2004) “All mouth and trousers”, in Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books in association with Penguin Books, →ISBN.