kino kē atu tana auau i tana ngau
1. their bark is worse than their bite - an expression adopted from English to indicate that someone isn’t as frightening as they seem.
Otirā, ko te kupu tika mō Te Wīremu, ko te kupu a te Pākehā, “Kino kē atu tana auau i tana ngau,” arā, he whakatuma kau kāhore he kino o roto (TP 4/1907:2). However, what is correct about Rev. Williams is what the Europeans say, “His bark is worse than his bite,” in other words, his threats are harmless. /
