barking dogs seldom bite

proverb People who make themselves appear threatening rarely do any harm. A: "I'm really scared to tell Mr. White that I haven't finished my project. You know how he yells." B: "Yeah, but barking dogs seldom bite. He'll get over it." Sue may be intimidating, but that's just because she has to keep a whole department in line—barking dogs seldom bite. Mr. Stewart may yell a lot, but I doubt he'll do anything to you—barking dogs seldom bite.