idle threat

English

Noun

idle threat (plural idle threats)

1. A threat made by a person who does not mean to carry it out, and which perhaps shouldn't be taken seriously by others.
   • 2020 December 2, Industry Insider, “The costs of cutting carbon”, in Rail, page 76:

     Without any injection of money, Transport for London has said the project could be mothballed. This may not be an idle threat, given the future decline expected in London and South East commuting.

References

• “idle threat”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “idle threat”, in Collins English Dictionary.