all fur and no knickers
📖 generalMeaning
Having a superficial appearance of wealth, importance, or substance, but lacking actual value or depth underneath.
Literal Meaning
Refers to someone wearing a fur coat (implying luxury) but no underwear (implying a lack of true substance, dignity, or preparedness beneath the surface).
Example
“His grand promises for the project turned out to be all fur and no knickers when it came to execution.”