Idioms From the Card Table
Instructions: Play your hand at phrases dealt from card games, such as "an ace up your sleeve," "the cards are stacked," and "follow suit."
- 1.
When someone has a secret advantage they are saving for the right moment, we say they have "an ace up their _____."
AsleeveBpocketChatDhand - 2.
If you "follow suit," what are you doing?
ADoing the same thing as someone elseBWearing a matching outfitCFiling a lawsuitDDealing cards to everyone - 3.
When the odds are unfairly against you from the start, people say "the cards are stacked _____ you."
AagainstBbehindCunderDover - 4.
To "show your hand" means to reveal what?
AYour true plans or intentionsBYour palm to a fortune tellerCThat you are cheatingDHow many cards you hold - 5.
"Playing your cards right" means making the most of your opportunities through what?
AClever decisions and good judgmentBWinning at pokerCBeing honest with everyoneDWorking as hard as possible - 6.
If someone is described as a "wild card," they are best described as which of the following?
AAn unpredictable person whose actions are hard to foreseeBSomeone who enjoys gamblingCA very talented and reliable team memberDA person who cheats at games - 7.
When you "lay your cards on the table," you are doing what?
ABeing completely open and honest about your situationBQuitting a game earlyCChallenging someone to a contestDAsking for help from a friend - 8.
To "trump" someone's argument means to do what to it?
ADefeat or surpass it with something more powerfulBAgree with it completelyCRepeat it more loudlyDIgnore it and change the subject - 9.
When someone "calls your bluff," they are doing what?
ADemanding proof that you can actually do what you claimedBAccusing you of telling a lieCRaising the stakes in a negotiationDAsking you to repeat yourself more clearly - 10.
The phrase "in the cards" (or "on the cards" in British English) means something is which of the following?
ALikely or destined to happenBCompletely impossibleCAlready finishedDA well-kept secret - 11.
When someone plays "the trump card" in an argument or negotiation, what have they done?
AUsed their most powerful or decisive advantage to settle the matterBAdmitted defeat gracefullyCChanged the rules midway throughDBrought in a third party to judge the dispute - 12.
If a plan is described as a "long shot" that someone must "play" because it is their "last card," what does "last card" mean in this context?
AThe only option remaining when all others have been exhaustedBThe weakest choice availableCA final attempt to cheat the systemDA card that ends the game immediately - 13.
To "deal someone in" on a plan means what?
ATo include them and give them a share in what is happeningBTo warn them about a potential dangerCTo assign them the most difficult part of a taskDTo deceive them about your true intentions - 14.
The expression "close to the chest" (often "playing it close to the chest") comes from the habit of holding your cards how, and means what in everyday life?
AHeld tightly so opponents cannot see them, meaning keeping plans or information privateBDealt face-down on the table, meaning planning in secretCSpread wide for all to see, meaning being very generousDShuffled repeatedly, meaning being indecisive - 15.
The idiom "above board" means honest and transparent. The "board" in this phrase originally referred to what surface in a card game?
AThe table, because keeping hands above the table proved you were not secretly swapping cards below itBA scoreboard, because writing scores publicly showed fair playCA wooden board used to shuffle cards, showing they were not markedDA raised platform where referees watched for cheating