empty suit
(redirected from an empty suit)empty suit
A person with the appearance of authority, importance, or significance, but who, in reality, is completely ineffectual, incompetent, or unremarkable. My boss likes to think he's God's gift to the world, but he's just an empty suit who couldn't run the business for a day if it weren't for me.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
empty suit
An unimportant person; also, a phony. For example, Don't pay any attention to him-he's just an empty suit, or She acts as though she knows what she's doing, but she's really an empty suit. This graphic expression calls up the image of an empty suit of clothes. [c. 1970]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
- Walter Mitty
- can't punch (one's) way out of a paper bag
- can't punch one's way out of a paper bag
- couldn't punch (one's) way out of a paper bag
- he, she, etc. couldn't punch his, her, etc. way out of a paper bag
- couldn't fight your way out of a paper bag
- couldn't fight (one's) way out of a paper bag
- can't punch (one's) way out of a wet paper bag
- couldn't fight (one's) way out of a wet paper bag
- be like speaking to a brick wall