English equivalent of a Spanish expression that translates to "iron fist, crystal jaw"

Question

There is an expression in Spanish Puño de hierro, mandíbula de cristal whose English translation is iron fist, crystal jaw. But that doesn't make sense to an English person (I suppose) because I used that in a conversation with a native English speaker and she did not understand. English is not my first language so I don't know the correct equivalent.

That expression refers to a person who can insult others (thus "iron fist" which means that he can hit someone easily) but the same person in question can't bear it when someone else insults him (thus "crystal jaw" which can mean that when someone hits them, their jaw easily breaks).

Does such an expression exist in English?

Answer 1

Its English equivalent is ‘he can dish it out, but he can't take it’ defined by Cambridge English Dictionary as:

someone easily criticizes other people but does not like it when other people criticize him or her

Answer 2

In the gaming community, there's the phrase glass cannon.

What does “glass cannon” mean?

“Glass cannon” is used to refer to characters or objects that are extremely powerful offensively yet are also extremely weak defensively. Obviously, the most common usage would be within action games where you care about the offensive and defensive powers of a character. A similar, almost synonymous term is “glass dragon.”

This isn't a very old term, so it may not be recognized my some or most English speakers at this time. It somewhat echoes the more common phrase "glass jaw" (noted in the comments), although that only refers to the defensively-frail aspect.

Answer 3

In boxing "Glass jaw" is a term that is sometimes used to describe some boxers who may be exceptional fighters, but seem to be knocked down or knocked out more easily than others. The sentiment is that while they may have a respectable record, this likely keeps them from being truly competitive amongst the very top boxers in the world.

Answer 4

I would use sharp tongue, thin skin which was a common expression where I grew up in Idaho.

Answer 5

"throwing stones in a glass house" is an expression that is used flexibly, i.e. "Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones" Instead of a fist, it's a stone, and instead of a jaw, it's a house.

Oxfordreference.com: Do not criticize or slander another if you are vulnerable to retaliation.

Quote: The proverb appeared in Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde, written in 1385. Later, George Herbert modified it this way: “Whose house is of glass, must not throw stones at another.” And in 1736, Benjamin Franklin wrote, “Don’t throw stones at your neighbors, if your own windows are glass.”

Answer 6

That I looks like a literal translation, a better translation for English is “iron fist, glass jaw”.

To quote an example “The trouble with boxing is far too many people take it far too seriously. They believe the measure of a man is his iron fist or glass jaw”.

Both are boxing expressions, and combining the two would be easily understood by anyone that is more than casual acquaintance with boxing, and by many with just a casual acquaintance (the iron in Iron Mike Tyson referred to his punching ability).

Answer 7

There's mimophant:

In Rejkjavik to cover the match, the novelist Arthur Koestler famously coined the neologism "mimophant" to describe Fischer. "A mimophant is a hybrid species: a cross between a mimosa and an elephant. A member of this species is sensitive like a mimosa where his own feelings are concerned and thick-skinned like an elephant trampling over the feelings of others."