call bluff

call someone's bluff

to make someone prove that what they are saying is true, or to make someone prove that they will really do what they say they will do, because you do not believe them. Alice called his bluff and dared him to tell everyone what he knew about her.

See also: bluff, call

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call your bluff

to make someone do what they said they will do. He said he would help, and now his opponents have called his bluff and asked him to provide the funds.

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of calling a bluff in a card game (= forcing someone to show the cards they hold)

See also: bluff, call