Idiom
all mouth and trousers
Meaning
Superficial, engaging in empty, boastful talk, but not of real substance.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“He talks big about his plans, but he is all mouth and trousers.”
“Don't expect him to help with the project; he is all mouth and trousers when it comes to hard work.”
“Despite his grandiose promises of reform, the politician proved to be all mouth and trousers, failing to deliver any meaningful change.”
Examples
simple
“He talks big about his plans, but he is all mouth and trousers.”
contextual
“Don't expect him to help with the project; he is all mouth and trousers when it comes to hard work.”
complex
“Despite his grandiose promises of reform, the politician proved to be all mouth and trousers, failing to deliver any meaningful change.”
Origin
From *mouth*, denoting speech in place of action, and *trousers*, a reference to contemporary masculine dress or the genitals. The idiom suggests a discrepancy between verbal bravado and physical or anatomical substance.
Key words
Related idioms
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