All are not hunters that blow the horn.

Meaning: Not everyone who announces themselves possesses the skill or worthiness their proclamation implies.

Origin: Recorded in A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, an undated collection published in London by Whittaker & Co. around 1880 and credited to Thomas Preston. Its earlier history hasn't been traced.

Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, and German

  • French: Ne sont pas tous chasseurs qui sonnent du cor (literally: All are not hunters who blow the horn)
  • Spanish: El hábito no hace al monje (literally: The habit does not make the monk)
  • Japanese: 衣ばかりで和尚はできぬ (Koromo bakari de oshō wa dekinu) (literally: Robes alone do not make a priest)
  • German: Es sind nicht alle Köche, die lange Messer tragen (literally: Not all who carry long knives are cooks)

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