Poker idioms
September 10th, 2014 in Improve English
Here is a list of poker idioms.
Cash in one’s chips
To cash in one’s chips is to pass away.
- My granddaughter cashed in her chips at the age of ninety.
Cash in one’s chips can also mean ‘sell something for a profit’.
- The shares I bought five years ago had appreciated so much in value that I decided to cash in my chips and take the money.
Come up trumps
To come up trumps is to complete something successfully.
- We weren’t hopeful of winning, but we came up trumps.
Come within an ace of (doing something)
To come within an ace of something is to almost succeed in it.
- We came within an ace of signing the contract, but at the last moment the client backed out.
Deal someone in
To deal someone in is to include them.
- I hope you will deal me in when you launch your new business.
A few cards short of a deck
If somebody is a few cards short of a deck, they are crazy.
- I think she is a few cards short of a deck. She always does very strange things.
Follow suit
To follow suit is to follow the examples of someone else.
- Martin went to work for a call center and his brother followed suit.
To have a card up one’s sleeve
To have a card up your sleeve is to have a secret advantage.
- He must have a card up his sleeve; otherwise, he wouldn’t have rejected that offer.