all talk and no action

English

Noun

all talk and no action (uncountable)

1. Speaking, promising, or boasting much, but doing little.
   • 20 January 2017, Donald Trump, Inauguration Speech

     We will no longer accept politicians who are all talk and no action - constantly complaining but never doing anything about it.

Synonyms

• all bark and no bite
• all talk and no cider
• all talk, no show
• all booster, no payload
• all crown, no filling
• all foam, no beer
• all hammer, no nail
• all hat and no cattle
• all icing, no cake
• all lime and salt, no tequila
• all mouth and no trousers
• all mouth and trousers
• all shot, no powder
• all sing, no dance
• all sizzle and no steak
• all talk
• all wax and no wick

Translations

idiom

• Chinese: 光說不做／光说不做 (zh) (guāngshuōbùzuò), 只說不做／只说不做 (zhǐshuōbùzuò), 光說不幹／光说不干 (guāngshuōbùgān), 耍嘴皮子 (zh) (shuǎ zuǐpízi), 雷声大，雨点小 (zh) (léishēng dà, yǔdiǎn xiǎo), 雷聲大，雨點小／雷声大，雨点小 (zh) (léishēngdà, yǔdiǎnxiǎo)
• Maori: he kōrero i pahawa, hōhonu waha - pāpaku uaua
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Spanish: mucho hablar y poco hacer, mucho ruido y pocas nueces
• Swedish: Mycket snack och lite verkstad. (sv)

See also

• talk out of one's ass
• talk the talk