pay lip-service to something

pay lip service to (something)

To give an insincere verbal expression of something, especially friendship, loyalty, respect, support, etc. The local council members pay lip service each year to a renewed plan to tackle homelessness, but no one ever expects them to follow through.See also: lip, pay, service

pay ˈlip-service to something

if a person pays lip-service to something, they pretend to support or agree with something, without proving their support by what they actually do: He doesn’t really believe in equal opportunities. He just pays lip-service to it because he doesn’t want to appear old-fashioned.See also: pay, something