all talk (and no action)

Idioms  

1. Much discussion but no action or results, as in Don't count on Mary's help—she's all talk, or Dave has been saying for months that he'll get a summer job, but he's all talk and no action. This idiom may have begun life as all talk and no cider, which Washington Irving cited as an American proverb in Salmagundi (1807). However, similar sayings antedate it by many years—for example, “The greatest talkers are always the least doers” (John Ray, English Proverbs, 1670).

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Example Sentences

Gillian and Pete Brisley, who live in South Wales, say they’ve tried to engage authorities in the United Kingdom to assist, but describe “all talk and no action.”

From Seattle Times

Campaigner Greta Thunberg has said these UN climate summits are just "blah, blah, blah" - meaning all talk and no action.

From BBC

And she’s warning her colleagues that voters won’t forgive them for being all talk and no action.

From Washington Times

In the coming weeks, residents will be able to see for themselves who is “all talk and no action” on the council.

From Washington Post

“You guys are like gallinas cluecas, puro guato, a bunch of clucking chickens, all talk and no action.”

From Literature