What is an Empty Suit?
The word suit has a number of meanings. It can refer to a suit of clothing, one of the four suits of playing cards, a petition or appeal, or the pursuit of something. Sometimes a person is described as “a suit,” or more properly an empty suit. This holds a completely different meaning than most other definitions of suit, and has only a slight acquaintance with “suit of clothing.” An empty suit tends to refer to a non-important person — perhaps someone puffed up with his own importance but really having little effect on the lives of others. It is often used as an insult to disparage others who really don’t deserve the title. The true empty suit, which conjures up the image of a business suit of clothing without a person, really doesn’t know what he or she is doing. He or she is ineffectual, perhaps a phony, and is about as relevant or helpful as a suit hanging on a rack. To call someone an empty suit implies that you think they are a complete waste of time. Editorials on politicians lov
“…An empty suit tends to refer to a non-important person — perhaps someone puffed up with his own importance but really having little effect on the lives of others. It is often used as an insult to disparage others who really don’t deserve the title. The true empty suit, which conjures up the image of a business suit of clothing without a person, really doesn’t know what he or she is doing. He or she is ineffectual, perhaps a phony, and is about as relevant or helpful as a suit hanging on a rack. To call someone an empty suit implies that you think they are a complete waste of time. Editorials on politicians love to use the term empty suit to describe people seeking presidential office. This or that politician is just “an empty suit,” to quote the words of numerous political critics, and is thus undeserving of our attention. …” http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-an-empty-suit.
