cattle
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Related to cattle: kettle
all hat and no cattle
Full of talk that is more impressive than that which one actually possesses or is able to do. Primarily heard in US. He talks as though he knows more than anyone else, but he's all hat and no cattle. Over the years, her political rhetoric has become all hat and no cattle. She criticizes more than ever, but gets less and less done each year! That disgraced CEO is all hat and no cattle if he's saying he still has authority over the company.
be all hat and no cattle
To be full of talk that is more impressive than that which one actually possesses or is able to do. Primarily heard in US. He talks as though he knows more than anyone else, but he's all hat and no cattle.
be packed in like cattle
Of a large group or number of people, to be fit tightly into some enclosed space. The airline doesn't care if we're packed in like cattle, so long as they get our ticket fare. Sorry, I can't go the game with you—being packed in like cattle with tens of thousands of other people really triggers my claustrophobia.
big hat, no cattle
Full of talk that is more impressive than that which one actually possesses or is able to do. He talks as though he knows more than anyone else, but he's big hat, no cattle.
cattle call
A large audition (for film, television, theater, etc.) that is open to the public, meaning many people typically attend and are often seen very briefly. I spent days preparing for the audition, but it turns out it was just a cattle call and they ushered me out before I was even halfway done with the monologue.
cattle market
1. A typically public place where one goes to find potential sexual partners. Almost always used in a negative way. Primarily heard in UK, Australia. Our college's student bar is such a cattle market on the weekends. It seems like everyone I know has hooked up with at least one person there. Everyone knows that the clubs on Leeson Street are just cattle markets for single people.
2. A place or situation in which people are gathered, displayed, and appraised for their looks or abilities, akin to cattle being valued in a market. Primarily heard in UK, Australia. These summer training camps are really just cattle markets for college football recruiters to find the most promising up-and-coming players. The restaurant is an oddity, a cattle market that only hires women for their large busts.
cattle-rustler
One who steals meat from supermarkets in order to resell it. Please tell me you didn't buy this meat from a cattle-rustler.
pack (someone) in like cattle
To manage to fit a lot of people into some space. The airline packs customers in like cattle to keep costs down, safety limits be damned. We were packed in like cattle, but we all managed to fit inside the tiny auditorium for the concert.
packed in like cattle
Fit tightly into some space, as of a large number of people. The airline doesn't care if we're packed in like cattle, so long as they get our ticket fare. My claustrophobia becomes a real problem when I have to navigate a stadium for a sporting event. Tens of thousands of people packed in like cattle—what a nightmare.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
all hat and no cattle
AMERICAN, INFORMALIf you describe someone as all hat and no cattle, you mean that they seem impressive or exciting but in reality they do not do much. On this issue, western leaders are all hat and no cattle. Note: This expression comes from the West of America, where cowboys (= people who look after cattle) wear large hats.
a cattle market
BRITISH, AMERICAN ora meat market
AMERICAN, INFORMAL, RUDEIf you describe a situation as a cattle market or a meat market, you mean that people, usually women, are being judged or chosen depending on how sexually attractive they are. The parade of beautiful girls from every nation in the world was rightly dismissed as a cattle market. It's a meat market, like a lot of nightclubs. Note: You use this expression in a disapproving way.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
be all hat and no cattle
tend to talk boastfully without acting on your words. US informalFarlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
cattle-rustler
n. a thief who steals meat from supermarkets for resale. (Underworld.) Marty is a cattle-rustler, and she’s got some stuff for sale.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
big hat, no cattle
All talk and nothing to back it up. “Big hat” is the Western ten-gallon variety; the term is often applied to ranchers. On the theory that if you're going to wear one, you'd better be a cowboy and not just dress like one, you should be able to produce a head or more of livestock. If you couldn't, you were just full of hot air.
Endangered Phrases by Steven D. Price Copyright © 2011 by Steven D. Price