All mouth and no trousers

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Meaning

Full of boasts or promises but unwilling or unable to act on them. Informal and mildly insulting. It may carry a suggestion of empty masculine bravado. Regional use: United Kingdom, especially informal British English.

Origin

A British variant of the earlier expression 'all mouth and trousers', documented in the 1960s. The form with 'no' is found in print by 1974 and makes the contrast between talk and substance explicit. Claims of a much older origin are not supported by the cited record.

Variants

  • All mouth and trousers
  • Be all mouth

Usage Examples

  • The candidate sounded fearless in the interview, but proved all mouth and no trousers when the negotiations began.
  • Ignore his threats; he is all mouth and no trousers once anyone challenges him.

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