Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer botched a popular Texas insult from the Senate floor on Wednesday, saying President Donald Trump’s summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un amounted to “what the Texans call ‘all cattle, no hat.'”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says “we are all heartened to see the two leaders engaging in dialogue,” but “Chairman Kim achieved far more than Pres. Trump” in the U.S.-North Korea summit https://t.co/sNxTmULCg5 pic.twitter.com/z02ropwAsu
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) June 13, 2018
Schumer was trying to make the point that the summit had been more about the pageantry than about actually getting anything accomplished, but the Texas expression he tried to quote was delivered backward.
The correct expression, “all hat, no cattle,” is a throwback to the poser cowboys who would adopt the hat and boots simply for the look despite having no legitimate connection to ranching.
Other similar expressions would be:
- all talk, no action
- all sizzle, no steak
- all form, no substance
Fox News contributor Katie Pavlich used the phrase “all hat, no cowboy,” when correcting Schumer on “Outnumbered,” and even ran a quick Twitter poll to determine which was the best alternative.
Is it “all hat, no cowboy” or “all hat, no cattle”?! #Outnumbered
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) June 13, 2018
The insult was once famously used by former Texas Governor Ann Richards to describe President George W. Bush.