Someone or something does not live up to its reputation

Etymology:

  • The phrase all sizzle and no steak seems to have come into use during the mid-1900s and comes from a 1937 book about salesmanship called Tested Sentences that Sell, written by American Elmer Wheeler: “Don’t sell the steak — sell the sizzle.” Wheeler meant a salesman should describe what a product can do for a buyer, not simply what the product is.
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Within twenty minutes of the interview, it became apparent to me that my guy was all sizzle and no steak.

Submitted on November 09, 2023

Additional definitions for 'all sizzle and no steak':

all sizzle and no steakA thing or person which fails to measure up to its description or advanced promotion.
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    "all sizzle and no steak." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 23 Dec. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/all-sizzle-and-no-steak_63956>.

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