| Something less scary than it seems |
Universal |
30 Nov 2025 |
| Threatening but ineffectual person or thing (5,5) |
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| Pager providing storage for brash one's ineffectual entity (5,5) |
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| Chinese-based idiom, for an "authority" without power |
The Times Specialist Sunday |
01 Sep 2024 |
| Empty threat [1st] |
Newsday |
16 Jun 2024 |
| 1975 British film starring David Niven as 'Major' Walter Bradbury |
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| Person or thing that only appears powerful (5,5) |
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| Party boss whose bark is worse than his bite |
Wall Street Journal |
16 May 2023 |
| All-bark, no-bite type |
Newsday |
02 Jan 2023 |
| The Cowardly Lion, e.g., oddly |
Universal |
31 Dec 2022 |
| Toothless adversary (or something that can be made in 39-Down) |
USA Today |
19 Sep 2022 |
| Daily row about golf organisation giving impression of power |
The Telegraph Cryptic |
15 Jun 2022 |
| Seemingly strong opponent |
Newsday |
20 Oct 2020 |
| First anniversary gift for a zookeeper? |
The Washington Post |
12 Mar 2020 |
| First anniversary gift for a zookeeper? |
LA Times Daily |
12 Mar 2020 |
| *Feline metaphor for an empty threat |
LA Times Daily |
30 Sep 2019 |
| *Feline metaphor for an empty threat |
The Washington Post |
30 Sep 2019 |
| Toothless threat |
USA Today |
04 Jun 2019 |
| *Feline metaphor for an empty threat |
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| Toothless threat |
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| Cheeky one taken in by caller -- a person who's not a real threat |
The Telegraph Cryptic |
21 Mar 2018 |
| Empty threat |
Newsday |
11 Feb 2018 |
| Threatening but ineffectual sort |
USA Today |
16 Jan 2017 |
| Threatening but ineffectual sort |
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| Provides no real threat to most of 26 across with big cat |
Irish Times Crosaire |
13 Sep 2016 |
| All-bark, no-bite type |
LA Times Daily |
29 Nov 2015 |
| All-bark, no-bite type |
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| Empty threat |
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| Nothing to be afraid of, really |
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| Bluff-and-bluster type |
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| Something that shouldn't scare you |
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| Toothless threat |
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| Empty threat |
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| All-bark, no-bite type |
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| Person feigning power |
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| *One who's an empty threat |
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| All-bark, no-bite type |
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| Its bark is worse than its bite? |
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| No real threat |
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| Seemingly strong opponent |
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| Phantom menace |
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| Empty threat |
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| One pretending to be powerful |
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| Toothless enemy |
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| One pretending to be powerful |
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| Pseudo-powerful one |
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| It's not as threatening as it looks |
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| Person who appears powerful but isn't |
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| Outwardly powerful but inwardly weak person |
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| It has little bite |
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| *Its bark is worse than its bite |
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| *Its bark is worse than its bite |
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| Its roar is worse than its bite |
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| Bluff-and-bluster type |
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| Empty threat |
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| Empty threat |
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| One feigning courage |
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| Blowhard (1st) |
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| Blowhard (1st) |
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| 1975 David Niven film |
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| 1975 David Niven film |
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| Cowardly Lion, for one |
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| Bully with a glass jaw, for example |
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| No big threat in Detroit? |
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| Its roar is worse than its bite |
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| It's not as threatening as it looks |
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| Empty threat |
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| One who looks powerful but isn't |
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| Toothless threat |
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| One outwardly powerful, inwardly weak |
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| Phony strong man |
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| He's outwardly tough, inwardly weak |
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| Fearsome weakling |
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| Formidable weakling |
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| Powerful-looking weakling |
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| Ferocious fake. |
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| China's epithet for U. S. might. |
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| One whose strength is illusory. |
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| Empty threat, in oriental parlance. |
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