Etymology

all mouth and trousers

Today it means: Superficial, engaging in empty, boastful talk, but not of real substance. Full definition →

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The story

From mouth, meaning "talk" rather than action, and trousers, presumably at the time of origin, a reference to masculinity, either as trousers as a male item of clothing, or a reference to the genitals.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.