Dictionary

all bark and no bite en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Meanings

1. (idiomatic, not-comparable) Full of big talk but lacking action, power, or substance; pretentious.
2. (idiomatic, not-comparable) Often making cutting remarks, but having a gentle personality underneath.
3. (idiomatic, not-comparable) Aggressive but never combative.
   • The phrase "all bark, no bite" could have been coined for our mutts; couple of wimps, those two. 2008, Wally Lamb, The Hour I First Believed, Ch.1, at p.28

Forms

Relateds

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

Translations (34)

es ladra pero no muerde (full of big talk) · sv stor i orden men liten på jorden (full of big talk) · km ឆ្កែព្រុសមិនដែលខាំ (full of big talk) · it tutto fumo e niente arrosto (full of big talk) · he כלב נובח אינו נושך (full of big talk) · da han er ikke så farlig som han ser ud (full of big talk) · es perro ladrador, poco mordedor (making cutting remarks, but having a gentle personality underneath) · ca moltes bufes i pocs trons (full of big talk) · ca molta fressa i poca endreça (full of big talk) · vi chó sủa là chó không cắn (making cutting remarks, but having a gentle personality underneath) · cmn 光說不做 /光说不做 (full of big talk) · el όλο λόγια (full of big talk) · it cane che abbaia non morde (making cutting remarks, but having a gentle personality underneath) · pt cão que ladra não morde (full of big talk) · ru пуста́я бо́чка гро́мче греми́т (full of big talk) · pl krowa, która dużo ryczy, mało mleka daje (full of big talk) · fi paljon porua, vähän villoja (full of big talk) · cmn 刀子嘴豆腐心 (making cutting remarks, but having a gentle personality underneath) · ja 張り子の虎 (full of big talk) · pl pies, który dużo szczeka, nie gryzie (making cutting remarks, but having a gentle personality underneath) · pt cão que late não morde (full of big talk) · fr grande gueule (full of big talk) · cmn 不下雨 (full of big talk) · yue 光說不做 /光说不做 (full of big talk) · es mucho ruido y pocas nueces (full of big talk) · fi kova päältä, pehmeä sisältä (making cutting remarks, but having a gentle personality underneath) · sl peš, ki laja, ne griže (full of big talk) · el σκύλος που γαβγίζει δεν δαγκώνει (making cutting remarks, but having a gentle personality underneath) · cmn 乾打雷，不下雨 /干打雷 (full of big talk) · id tong kosong nyaring bunyinya (full of big talk) · km បានតែព្រុស (making cutting remarks, but having a gentle personality underneath) · el σκυλί που γαβγίζει δεν δαγκώνει (making cutting remarks, but having a gentle personality underneath) · es irse la fuerza por la boca (full of big talk) · de große Klappe und nichts dahinter (full of big talk)