| 单词 | paper tiger |
| 释义 | paper tiger (once / 134311 pages) n A paper tiger is someone who at first glance seems to be in charge but who, on closer examination, is completely powerless. A paper tiger gives the impression of being powerful — perhaps he is a king or a high school principal — but lacks any real power. This phrase comes from an old Chinese idiom, which describes a paper tiger as a "blustering, harmless fellow," and which was popularized when Mao Zedong was quoted in 1956 calling the United States a paper tiger. The idiom makes sense when you think of how terrifying a real tiger is — and how harmless a paper version would be. WORD FAMILYpaper tiger USAGE EXAMPLESBut there is a way out—recognizing that what you are facing is only a paper tiger, not a real one. Time(Oct 20, 2016) Bevin called the federal law a “paper tiger” during an address to a group of preachers at the governor’s mansion last month. Seattle Times(Oct 04, 2016) Bevin called the federal law a “paper tiger” during an address to preachers at the governor’s mansion last month. Seattle Times(Oct 04, 2016) n the nature of a person or organization that appears powerful but is actually powerless and ineffectual he reminded Mao that the paper tiger had nuclear teeth Hyper impotence, impotency, powerlessness the quality of lacking strength or power; being weak and feeble |
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