lip service
Promising but empty talkPromising but empty talk; words without action or intention.
» Don't pay lip service to me.
Machen Sie mir hier keine Lippenbekenntnisse!
Mach mir hier keine Lippenbekenntnisse!
Macht mir hier keine Lippenbekenntnisse!
Meaning
2 senses(idiomatic, uncountable)Promising but empty talk; words without action or intention.
The candidate gave lip service to fixing the problems, but it is doubtful that he will do much.
Lippenbekenntnis
пусты́е слова́pustýje slová, неи́скренние словоизлия́нияneískrennije slovoizlijánija, пустословиеpustoslóvije
(slang, uncountable, vulgar)Cunnilingus (sometimes also referred to as giving lip).
Jack gave Samantha lip service.
- an expression of agreement that is not supported by real conviction
Examples
6 sentencesDon't pay lip service to me.
deMachen Sie mir hier keine Lippenbekenntnisse!
They gave lip service to environmental protection, but continued polluting the river.
deSie bekannten sich nur mit Lippenbekenntnissen zum Umweltschutz, verschmutzten aber weiterhin den Fluss.
Is management really going to consider our bonus, or was that just lip service?
deWird das Management wirklich unseren Bonus berücksichtigen oder war das nur ein Lippenbekenntnis?
Although many pay lip service to the idea of affirmative action, in reality, very few minorities get hired.
For decades, Algeria did nothing but pay lip service to economic diversification.
Translations
6 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 1
Origin
First use appears c. 1590, in A Treatise against Witchcraft by Henry Holland. Compare earlFirst use appears c. 1590, in A Treatise against Witchcraft by Henry Holland. Compare earlier lip-labour.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Synonyms
7 synonymsWord family
8 related wordsLessons for this word
1 lessons- A1Countable and uncountable nouns — Because it can be uncountable