paper tigers
Toothless supposed dangers
Paper tigers are people or things that appear threatening but are actually harmless or ineffective.
The phrase comes from a Chinese expression popularized by Mao Zedong, who used it to dismiss enemies as less powerful than they seemed.
The new regulations turned out to be paper tigers—lots of bark but no enforcement.
- bluffCalculated false front
- empty threatsInsincere warnings of consequences
- pretensesFalse outward appearances
- façadeFalse outward appearance
- false frontMisleading outward appearance
mirage · smoke and mirrors · powerlessness · illusion · threat · intimidation · show of force · mimicry · deceptive · brag · chimera · demagogue · superficial · impotent · hollow · hollow victory · propaganda · cowardice
paper tigersexistential threats
Perils endangering continued existence
apex predators · juggernauts · powerhouses · heavyweights · iron fists
paper tigerswolves in sheep's clothing
Deceivers feigning harmlessness
hidden dangers · sleeping giants · dark horses · Trojan horses · snakes in the grass
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