Common Italian expression
| Literally | Dog that barks doesn’t bite |
| Meaning | Someone who talks a lot or makes threats often doesn’t take real action |
| IPA pronunciation | /kan ke abˈbaːja non ˈmɔrde/ |
Can che abbaia non morde
Its bark is worse than its bite
Example
Non aver paura del capo. Can che abbaia non morde.
Don’t be afraid of the boss. His bark is worse than his bite.
Where does this idiom come from?
It is thought that this proverb comes from a quote by the Italian writer Alessandro Manzoni in his masterpiece I promessi sposi, The Betrothed: Eh! Le schioppettate non si danno via come confetti: e guai se questi cani dovessero mordere tutte le volte che abbaiano.
The literal translation of this sentence is “gunshots are not given as easily as sugared almonds, and woe betide if these dogs should bite every time they bark”.
Related lessons
- abbaiare (to bark)
- mordere (to bite)
- cane (dog)
- non (not)
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