bark is worse than one's bite, one's
(one's) bark is worse than (one's) bite
One's actions will not be nearly as severe as one's words imply. Don't worry about John's threats. His bark is worse than his bite.
bark is worse than one's bite, one's
A person seems more hostile or aggressive than is the case, as in Dad sounds very grouchy in the morning, but his bark's worse than his bite. This phrase was a proverb by the mid-1600s.