"one's bark is worse than one's bite" meaning in English

See one's bark is worse than one's bite in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Phrase

Audio: En-au-one's bark is worse than one's bite.ogg
Head templates: {{head|en|phrase|head=one's bark is worse than one's bite}} one's bark is worse than one's bite
  1. (idiomatic) One acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless. Tags: idiomatic Related terms: barking dogs seldom bite, all bark and no bite, sell wolf tickets Translations (one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless): հաչան շունը չի կծում (hačʻan šunə čʻi kcum) (Armenian), 刀子嘴豆腐心 (dāozi zuǐ dòufu xīn) (Chinese Mandarin), 善吠的狗很少咬人 (shàn fèi-de gǒu hěn shǎo yǎo rén) (Chinese Mandarin), pes, který štěká, nekouše (Czech), Blaffende honden bijten niet (Dutch), ŝelo estas pli malbona ol via mordo (Esperanto), haukkuva koira ei pure (Finnish), chien qui aboie ne mord pas (French), can ladrador, pouco mordedor (Galician), Hunde, die bellen, beißen nicht (German), σκύλος που γαβγίζει δεν δαγκώνει (skýlos pou gavgízei den dagkónei) (Greek), σκυλί που γαβγίζει δεν δαγκώνει (skylí pou gavgízei den dagkónei) (Greek), cani che abbaia non morde (Italian), 弱い犬ほどよく吠る (yowai inu hodo yoku hoeru) (alt: よわいいぬほどよくほえる) (Japanese), Hënn, déi billen, bäissen net (Luxembourgish), pies który dużo szczeka - nie gryzie (Polish), cão que ladra não morde (Portuguese), câinele care latră mult, mușcă rar (Romanian), ла́ющая соба́ка не куса́ет (lájuščaja sobáka ne kusájet) (Russian), perro ladrador, poco mordedor (Spanish), perro que ladra no muerde (Spanish)
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        "One acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless."
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          "threatening",
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          "harmless",
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        "(idiomatic) One acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "barking dogs seldom bite"
        },
        {
          "word": "all bark and no bite"
        },
        {
          "word": "sell wolf tickets"
        }
      ],
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      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "hy",
          "lang": "Armenian",
          "roman": "hačʻan šunə čʻi kcum",
          "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
          "word": "հաչան շունը չի կծում"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "dāozi zuǐ dòufu xīn",
          "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
          "word": "刀子嘴豆腐心"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "shàn fèi-de gǒu hěn shǎo yǎo rén",
          "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
          "word": "善吠的狗很少咬人"
        },
        {
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
          "word": "pes, který štěká, nekouše"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
          "word": "Blaffende honden bijten niet"
        },
        {
          "code": "eo",
          "lang": "Esperanto",
          "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
          "word": "ŝelo estas pli malbona ol via mordo"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
          "word": "haukkuva koira ei pure"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
          "word": "chien qui aboie ne mord pas"
        },
        {
          "code": "gl",
          "lang": "Galician",
          "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
          "word": "can ladrador, pouco mordedor"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
          "word": "Hunde, die bellen, beißen nicht"
        },
        {
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "roman": "skýlos pou gavgízei den dagkónei",
          "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
          "word": "σκύλος που γαβγίζει δεν δαγκώνει"
        },
        {
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "roman": "skylí pou gavgízei den dagkónei",
          "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
          "word": "σκυλί που γαβγίζει δεν δαγκώνει"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
          "word": "cani che abbaia non morde"
        },
        {
          "alt": "よわいいぬほどよくほえる",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "yowai inu hodo yoku hoeru",
          "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
          "word": "弱い犬ほどよく吠る"
        },
        {
          "code": "lb",
          "lang": "Luxembourgish",
          "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
          "word": "Hënn, déi billen, bäissen net"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
          "word": "pies który dużo szczeka - nie gryzie"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
          "word": "cão que ladra não morde"
        },
        {
          "code": "ro",
          "lang": "Romanian",
          "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
          "word": "câinele care latră mult, mușcă rar"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "note": "соба́ка, кото́рая ла́ет — не куса́ет (sobáka, kotóraja lájet — ne kusájet)",
          "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "lájuščaja sobáka ne kusájet",
          "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
          "word": "ла́ющая соба́ка не куса́ет"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
          "word": "perro ladrador, poco mordedor"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
          "word": "perro que ladra no muerde"
        }
      ]
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    {
      "code": "hy",
      "lang": "Armenian",
      "roman": "hačʻan šunə čʻi kcum",
      "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
      "word": "հաչան շունը չի կծում"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "dāozi zuǐ dòufu xīn",
      "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
      "word": "刀子嘴豆腐心"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "shàn fèi-de gǒu hěn shǎo yǎo rén",
      "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
      "word": "善吠的狗很少咬人"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
      "word": "pes, který štěká, nekouše"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
      "word": "Blaffende honden bijten niet"
    },
    {
      "code": "eo",
      "lang": "Esperanto",
      "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
      "word": "ŝelo estas pli malbona ol via mordo"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
      "word": "haukkuva koira ei pure"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
      "word": "chien qui aboie ne mord pas"
    },
    {
      "code": "gl",
      "lang": "Galician",
      "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
      "word": "can ladrador, pouco mordedor"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
      "word": "Hunde, die bellen, beißen nicht"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "skýlos pou gavgízei den dagkónei",
      "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
      "word": "σκύλος που γαβγίζει δεν δαγκώνει"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "skylí pou gavgízei den dagkónei",
      "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
      "word": "σκυλί που γαβγίζει δεν δαγκώνει"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
      "word": "cani che abbaia non morde"
    },
    {
      "alt": "よわいいぬほどよくほえる",
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "yowai inu hodo yoku hoeru",
      "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
      "word": "弱い犬ほどよく吠る"
    },
    {
      "code": "lb",
      "lang": "Luxembourgish",
      "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
      "word": "Hënn, déi billen, bäissen net"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
      "word": "pies który dużo szczeka - nie gryzie"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
      "word": "cão que ladra não morde"
    },
    {
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
      "word": "câinele care latră mult, mușcă rar"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "note": "соба́ка, кото́рая ла́ет — не куса́ет (sobáka, kotóraja lájet — ne kusájet)",
      "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "lájuščaja sobáka ne kusájet",
      "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
      "word": "ла́ющая соба́ка не куса́ет"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
      "word": "perro ladrador, poco mordedor"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "one acts in a threatening way but is relatively harmless",
      "word": "perro que ladra no muerde"
    }
  ],
  "word": "one's bark is worse than one's bite"
}

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This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-21 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (d8cb2f3 and 4e554ae). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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