all talk
1
5.5
- idiom
- Informal
:
solo palabras
- I did not vote for Obama because his campaign was all talk and no substance.
- all talk, no action
Do you know the British term all talk and no trousers?
- Do you know the British term all talk and no trousers?
- He is saying I am undeserving, I am all talk, I am a joke.
- People who are all talk, no action, money will decide what happens to them.
- Either way, you've got to let him go, because here is a big problem with dating or being with a man who's all talk, no action.
- I do think, you know, we, we're all talk about sports.
Examples
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You all talk a big game, but you know if the cops went on strike tomorrow, the world would come to an end.
Blog text (25) -
Either way, you've got to let him go, because here is a big problem with dating or being with a man who's all talk, no action.
-
People who are all talk, no action, money will decide what happens to them.
-
All talk, no substance.
Blog text (33) -
I don't agree with the Home Secretary on very much, but when she says that the Tories are all talk and no action, she's spot on isn't she?
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He makes big promises, but everyone knows he's just all talk.
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The politician's speech was impressive, yet many believe it was all talk without any real plans.
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They seemed passionate about the project, but in the end, it was just all talk.
Synonyms
1
6.1
Talks in a threatening way but does not act
1
7.4
Loud words that try to threaten or impress but have no real meaning
A person who says they will do things but never does them
To talk a lot or make big promises but not do anything useful
Antonyms
How Action-Oriented
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'only talk, no action' is directly built from 'all' (entirely/only) plus 'talk' (speaking or promises), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer that someone is merely speaking rather than acting. The pattern is literal and cross-linguistically common (equivalent phrases exist in many languages), making the expression immediately comprehensible without prior exposure.
Etymology
All talk comes from the image of someone who is only talk—all words and no action. So, it means 'makes promises or threats but does not act'.