- English translation
Once the fighting is over, the blowhard inflates himself and starts crowing.
- Literal wording
After the brawl, the puffed-up show-off swells.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying mocks someone who stays out of a fight and then appears afterward, loudly self-important, once the strong contenders have left. His bluster is safe because nobody is left to answer it.
It points to the gap between real courage and cheap swagger. Directed at a person, it is a harsh insult, portraying them as a hollow boaster whose apparent bravery emerges only after danger has passed.
- When it is used
Use it scornfully or sarcastically about someone who avoids a quarrel or confrontation, then swaggeringly issues challenges after the capable rivals have gone. Because it can brand a person a cowardly, empty boaster, it is insulting when aimed at an individual.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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