Idiom
all mouth and no trousers
Meanings
Talking big or making threats without taking action or proving it.
Definition
Someone who talks confidently but does not take action or deliver results.
If someone is all mouth and no trousers, they brag, threaten, or make big promises but do not follow through. The focus is on empty talk and lack of real effort or courage. It is an informal, often critical expression used about a person’s behavior.
Examples
- He keeps saying he’ll start his own business, but he’s all mouth and no trousers.
- Don’t worry about his threats—he’s all mouth and no trousers.
- She talks like she can do everything in a day, but she’s all mouth and no trousers.
- They act tough online, yet in person they’re all mouth and no trousers.
More at C1 level
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- close but no cigar Used to say someone almost succeeded but did not quite achieve the goal.
- come hell or high water No matter what happens or how difficult things become.
- brass monkeys “Brass monkeys” is used in the expression “cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey,” mea…
- get down to brass tacks To get down to brass tacks means to start discussing the most important practical details of someth…
More idioms
- Bob's your uncle Used to say that something will be easy or will happen exactly as expected after a simple step.
- close but no cigar Used to say someone almost succeeded but did not quite achieve the goal.
- down to the wire If something goes down to the wire, it is decided at the very last moment before the deadline or fi…
- lost the plot To become confused or unreasonable and no longer understand what is happening or what matters.
- ducks in a row To have everything organized and ready in the correct order.