The new manager is just an empty suit.
empty suit
idiomAn ineffective or incompetent person in a place of authority.
Origin
first recorded 20th c.Derived from unfavorable observations that ineffective professionals are memorable only for their attire and not their accomplishments at the workplace. First use appears c. 1950 in the New York Times.
Everyone realized the director was an empty suit when he could not answer basic questions about the company budget.
Despite his expensive clothes and confident tone, the candidate proved to be an empty suit who lacked any real understanding of the complex policy issues.
- 01
bag of fruit
[Cockney slang]suit
- 02
birthday suit
Nakedness, unclothed skin; an exposure of a human's natural anatomy without clothing.
- 03
cut one's cloth to suit one's purse
To settle for less when money or resources are limited.
- 04
empty the clip
To compete with great vigor, especially by making numerous scoring attempts.
- 05
empty the tank
To make the utmost effort; to contribute to the absolute limit of one's energy and abilities.
- 06
empty words
Any type of talk with little meaning; a message that seems to contain meaningful content but is actually vapid.
- 07
fold like a cheap suit
To give up easily; capitulate.
- 08
follow suit
To follow an example; to imitate or copy the actions of another.