paper tiger
Something or someone that appears powerful, strong or threatening but is in reality…Something or someone that appears powerful, strong or threatening but is in reality weak, ineffective, or unable to withstand challenge.
» I'm a paper tiger.
Ich bin ein Papiertiger.
Meaning
1 senses(idiomatic)Something or someone that appears powerful, strong or threatening but is in reality weak, ineffective, or unable to withstand challenge.
Papiertiger
бума́жный тигрbumážnyj tigr
паперо́вий тигрpaperóvyj tyhr
the nature of a person or organization that appears powerful but is actually powerless and ineffectual
Examples
5 sentencesI'm a paper tiger.
deIch bin ein Papiertiger. — Fenrir
I am a paper tiger.
deIch bin ein Papiertiger. — Fenrir
All reactionaries are paper tigers.
NATO is a paper tiger.
The Chinese army is a paper tiger.
Translations
9 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 1
By meaning 1
Origin
A calque from Chinese 紙老虎／纸老虎 (zhǐlǎohǔ), a phrase popularized by Mao Zedong, but of pre-mA calque from Chinese 紙老虎／纸老虎 (zhǐlǎohǔ), a phrase popularized by Mao Zedong, but of pre-modern origin. An English translation first appeared in an book in 1828 by British missionary and lexicographer Robert Morrison.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: paper tigers| Singular | paper tiger |
|---|---|
| Plural | paper tigers |
regular