all bark and no bite

English

Alternative forms

• all bark but no bite
• all bark no bite

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Adjective

all bark and no bite (not comparable)

1. (idiomatic) Full of big talk but lacking action, power, or substance; pretentious.
2. (idiomatic) Often making cutting remarks, but having a gentle personality underneath.
3. (idiomatic) Aggressive but never combative.

Translations

full of big talk

• Catalan: moltes bufes i pocs trons, molta fressa i poca endreça
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 光說不做／光说不做 (gwong¹ syut³ bat¹ zou⁶)

  Mandarin: 乾打雷，不下雨／干打雷，不下雨, 光說不做／光说不做 (zh) (guāngshuōbùzuò)

• Finnish: paljon porua, vähän villoja
• French: grande gueule (fr)
• German: große Klappe und nichts dahinter
• Greek: όλο λόγια (ólo lógia)
• Hebrew: כלב נובח אינו נושך (he) (a dog that barks, does not bite)
• Indonesian: tong kosong nyaring bunyinya (id) (empty cans make the loudest noises)
• Italian: tutto fumo e niente arrosto (all smoke and no roast)
• Japanese: 張り子の虎 (はりこのとら, hariko no tora) (papier-mâché tiger)
• Khmer: ឆ្កែព្រុសមិនដែលខាំ (chkaepruhmɨndaelkham)
• Polish: krowa, która dużo ryczy, mało mleka daje (pl) (a cow that moos much, gives little milk)
• Portuguese: cão que ladra não morde (pt), cão que late não morde (a dog that barks does not bite)
• Russian: пуста́я бо́чка гро́мче греми́т (pustája bóčka grómče gremít) (empty barrel rattles louder)
• Slovenian: peš, ki laja, ne griže
• Spanish: mucho ruido y pocas nueces (much noise and few nuts), ladra pero no muerde, irse la fuerza por la boca
• Swedish: stor i orden men liten på jorden

making cutting remarks, but having a gentle personality underneath

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: , 刀子嘴豆腐心 (zh) (dāozi zuǐ dòufu xīn)

• Finnish: kova päältä, pehmeä sisältä
• Greek: σκυλί που γαβγίζει δεν δαγκώνει (skylí pou gavgízei den dagkónei), σκύλος που γαβγίζει δεν δαγκώνει (skýlos pou gavgízei den dagkónei)
• Italian: cane che abbaia non morde
• Khmer: បានតែព្រុស (baantaepruh)
• Russian: please add this translation if you can
• Spanish: perro ladrador, poco mordedor

See also

• all hat and no cattle
• all talk and no action
• all garnish and no meat