paper tiger

English

Etymology

Calque of Chinese 紙老虎 (zhǐ lǎohǔ).

Noun

paper tiger (plural paper tigers)

1. (idiomatic) A seemingly fierce or powerful person, country or organisation without the ability to back up their words; apparently powerful but actually ineffective.
   • 2008, Ian Kershaw, "The twisted road to war", The Guardian, 23 Aug 2008:

     The League of Nations was by this time scarcely even a paper tiger, devoid of credibility since its divisions and pusillanimity had been so clearly laid bare following Mussolini's invasion of Abyssinia in the autumn of 1935.

Translations

paper tiger

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 紙老虎 (zh), 纸老虎 (zh) (zhǐlǎohǔ)

  Min Nan: 好哄頭 (hó-háⁿ-thâu)

• Finnish: paperitiikeri
• French: tigre de papier (fr) m
• German: Papiertiger (de) m
• Greek: χάρτινη τίγρη f (chártini tígri)
• Hebrew: רוח וצלצולים‏‎

• Irish: tíogar páipéir m
• Italian: tigre di carta f
• Japanese: 張り子の虎 (はりこのとら, hariko no tora)
• Khmer: ខ្លាក្រដាស (klaa krɑdaah)
• Portuguese: tigre de papel m
• Russian: бума́жный тигр (ru) m (bumážnyj tigr)
• Swedish: papperstiger c

See also

• all bark and no bite