card (redirected from play the card)

be on the cards (British, American & Australian, American & Australian)

to be likely to happen. 'Do you think there'll be an election next year?' 'I think it's on the cards'. There are some big changes in the cards for next year. (often + for)

be one card/several cards short of a full deck (humorous)

if someone is one card short of a full deck, they are stupid or crazy. Do you think your cousin might be one card short of a full deck?

See also: deck, full, several, short

a calling card

1. something that shows a person or animal has been in a place. The beetles leave behind their calling cards: little white balls on the outside of the trees.

2. a quality or achievement that gives someone an advantage. This performance acted as the calling card that landed Taylor her first major film role.

See also: calling

the cards are stacked against someone

if the cards are stacked against someone, they are not at all likely to succeed in a particular situation because they have a lot of problems. He fought a brilliant campaign, but the cards were stacked against him from the start.

See also: against

a drawing card (American & Australian)

a famous person who attracts a lot of people to a public event. Babe Ruth was the outstanding player of his time - the real drawing card for Yankee Stadium.

See also: drawing

have a card up your sleeve

to have an advantage that other people do not know about. I still had a card up my sleeve in the form of a letter from his father.

See also: sleeve

have/hold all the cards

to be in a strong position when you are competing with someone else, because you have all the advantages. There isn't much hope of him getting custody of the children - as far as the law goes, she holds all the cards.

See also: all, hold

a hole card (American)

a secret advantage that is ready to use when you need it. She still had one hole card to get out of police custody - a phone call to an influential friend.

See also: hole

a house of cards

an organization or a plan that is very weak and can easily be destroyed. The organization that looked so solid and dependable turned out to be a house of cards.

See also: house

keep/play your cards close to your chest

to not tell anyone what you plan to do. I never know what Martin's next move will be. He plays his cards close to his chest.

See also: chest, close, keep, play

lay/put your cards on the table

to tell someone honestly what you think or what you plan to do. I'll put my cards on the table: I don't like the way you've been behaving. She thought it was time to put her cards on the table and tell him that she had no intention of marrying him.

See also: lay, table

(if you) play your cards right (informal)

something that you say to someone which means that if they behave in the right way, they might succeed at something. Play your cards right and you could be managing this place in a year or so.

See also: play, right

a trump card

an advantage that makes you more likely to succeed than other people, especially something that other people do not know about. The fact that I had an Italian parent turned out to be my trump card when I applied for the job. Anthea was about to play her trump card - none of the money could be released without her signature.

See also: trump

a wild card

1. someone or something that you do not know much about and whose behaviour in the future you cannot be certain of. The real wild card is the undecided vote, which accounts for 18 to 25 percent of the electorate. The company is fast gaining a reputation as the wild card of Wall Street because of violent fluctuations in its profits.

2. if someone gets a wild card or is a wild card in a sports competition, they are allowed to enter the competition without passing the usual tests. She was included in the European team as a wild card.

See also: wild

wild-card

a wild card - if someone gets a wild card or is a wild card in a sports competition, they are allowed to enter the competition without passing the usual tests. Connors, the five-times champion, is among eight wild-card entries to the US Open in New York next month. (always before noun)

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hold all the cards

to have what is needed to control a situation. He holds all the cards in our office — he even decides where the water coolers are located and what kinds of pencils we have.

Etymology: based on the idea of holding (= controlling) the most valuable cards in a card game

See also: all, hold

a house of cards

an organization or a plan that is very weak and can easily be destroyed. Their partners began to suspect that the company was a financial house of cards.

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of house of cards (= a small structure made of playing cards)

See also: house

in the cards

very likely to happen. I think winning the World Series this year is definitely in the cards for Boston. Some reports suggest that a tax cut is still on the cards.

Etymology: based on the use of tarot cards (= a set of cards with pictures representing different parts of life) that are believed to be able to show what will happen in the future

play your cards right

to do the correct things to achieve a desired result. If I play my cards right, I could be hired as a consultant on that project.

Etymology: based on the idea of playing (= choosing and putting on the table) the right card at the right time in a card game

See also: play, right

put (all) your cards on the table

to truthfully explain what you know or think. I could only put my cards on the table and say I don't know what happened to this child.

See also: table