paper tiger

English

Etymology

Calque of Chinese 紙老虎／纸老虎 (zhǐlǎohǔ), a slogan used by Mao Zedong.

Pronunciation
  • Audio (AU)(file)

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.
    Synonym: sheep in wolf's clothing
    Antonym: wolf in sheep's clothing
    • 2008 August 23, Ian Kershaw, “The twisted road to war”, in The Guardian‎:
      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.
    • 2010 October 11, Roger Cohen, “Iran, the Paper Tiger”, in The New York Times‎, ISSN 0362-4331:
      Iran is a paper tiger, a postmodern threat: It has many uses but a third Western war against a Muslim country is a bridge too far.

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