paper tiger
3
7.1
- noun
- /ˈpeɪpər ˈtaɪɡər/
- Informal
:
tigre de papel
- Our lords will be exposed for the paper tigers that they are.
Examples
-
Many countries are often viewed as a paper tiger in international politics, appearing strong but lacking real influence.
-
"The authority board will be a paper tiger, and who will want to serve on that?
Academic text (1997) -
So which ones are simply paper tigers, and which ones might really make some noise?
Blog text (3) -
In short, Turkey has been exposed as a paper tiger when it comes to Syria.
Blog text (22) -
The US is a paper tiger that lacks the wherewithal to maintain its hegemony in the region.
Blog text (28) -
We can't let him think that the U.N. is a paper tiger that won't enforce its own resolutions.
Blog text (18) -
Bill Clinton's sporadic cruise-missile strikes only seemed to encourage bin Laden, who derided the United States as a paper tiger.
Academic text (2002) -
One of them, Robert Knight of the Coral Ridge Ministries megachurch in Fort Lauderdale, told his audience that the IRS rule restricting political activity is a "paper tiger" and a "house of cards."
Academic text (2011) -
The company's new policies were intended to impress shareholders, but many saw them as just a paper tiger.
-
Despite its aggressive posturing, the committee proved to be a paper tiger when it failed to take action.
Synonyms
12
5.1
A plan or organization that seems strong but is actually weak and likely to fail
A person with a high title who has no real power
Antonyms
57
4.5
A person, team, or organization that is very successful and able to influence others
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase combines a literal fragile material ('paper') with a dangerous animal ('tiger'), so the idea of a threat that is actually flimsy is logically inferable from the parts; a B1 learner who knows both words could likely guess the general meaning. However, the sense is metaphorical and somewhat culture-specific (it functions as a fixed idiom in political/social contexts), so full precise understanding or register nuances may require prior exposure.
Etymology
Paper tiger comes from the idea of a tiger made of paper: it looks fierce but cannot bite or fight. A famous use by Mao called an enemy a paper tiger, so today paper tiger means 'something that seems powerful but is actually weak'.