только одна слава

• ОДНО НАЗВАНИЕ (, что...); (ОДНО) ТОЛЬКО НАЗВАНИЕ all coll; ТОЛЬКО (ОДНА) СЛАВА, что...

[NP; sing only; often the main clause in a complex sent; usu. this WO]

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⇒ (in refer, to the discrepancy between what s.o. or sth. is called and what he or it actually is) a person, thing, phenomenon etc does not fit his or its name:

- s.o. (sth.) is a [NP] in name only;

- s.o. (sth.) doesn't deserve to be called a [NP];

- (it's) not what you could call a real [NP];

- [in limited contexts] only the name (of a [NP]) remains (is left).

     ♦ "Нынче мало ли французов этих побрали; а сапог... ни на одном настоящих нет, так, одно названье", - начал один из солдат новый разговор (Толстой 7). "Plenty of Frenchies taken today, but not what you could call a real pair of boots on a one of'em," said a soldier, introducing a new topic of conversation (7a)

     ♦ "А слышь ты, Василиса Егоровна, - отвечал Иван Кузьмич, - я был занят службой: солдатушек учил". - "И, полно! - возразила капитанша. - Только слава, что солдат учишь: ни им служба не дается, ни ты в ней толку не ведаешь" (Пушкин 2). [context transl] "But I was taken up with my service duties, Vassilissa Yegorovna," replied Ivan Kuzmich. "I was instructing my soldiers." "That'll do'" retorted the captains wife. "It's all a lot of chatter about your instructing the soldiers, they're not fit for the Service and you don't know the first thing about it either" (2b).