paper tiger
English
editEtymology
editCalque from Chinese 紙老虎/纸老虎 (zhǐlǎohǔ), a phrase made famous by Mao Zedong, but with ancient origins. An English translation first appeared in a 1828 book by British missionary and lexicographer Robert Morrison.
Pronunciation
editAudio (General Australian): (file)
Noun
editpaper tiger (plural paper tigers)
- (idiomatic) A seemingly fierce or powerful person, country or organisation without the ability to back up their words; apparently powerful but actually ineffective.
- Synonym: sheep in wolf's clothing
- Antonym: wolf in sheep's clothing
- 2008 August 23, Ian Kershaw, “The twisted road to war”, in The Guardian[1]:
- The League of Nations was by this time scarcely even a paper tiger, devoid of credibility since its divisions and pusillanimity had been so clearly laid bare following Mussolini's invasion of Abyssinia in the autumn of 1935.
Translations
editpaper tiger
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