
What it means : An unexpected and unpredictable variable that could have a large impact. How it originated : This originates in the practice of using playing cards (especially Tarot cards) are sometimes used for fortune-telling, to predict the future. How it originated : The highest ranking cards in Bridge are the Spades, so if you had cards in Spades you'd be in a good position.

What it means : To have something in a large amount, or an extreme degree, as much or even more than you'd want or need. How it originated : Building a literal house of cards can be a fun activity, but the result is usually very fragile, and an accidental bump in the wrong place will cause the entire structure to fall. What it means : Something unstable, badly put together, and easily destroyed. How it originated : If a player held all the Aces - usually the strongest card - or a winning hand, they had a very strong advantage, and the best chance of winning. What it means : Be in a strong position, with all the advantages.
#Ace of spades meaning in cartomancy full
Few cards short of a deck or Not playing with a full deck.How it originated : No matter how skilful you are, if you are dealt a hand of bad cards, this is hard to overcome! What it means : Have bad luck, or receive a disadvantage. How it originated : In a card game, the playing cards are "dealt" to all the players, so to be dealt in means to be part of the game. How it originated : In card games, trump cards beat all other suits. What it means : To successfully achieve a better-than-expected outcome. How it originated : An ante is the amount of money you put on the table as your bet at the start of a card game. What it means : Pay the money for something. How it originated : When a game situation is uncertain, for example after an unexpected change, then no players would take any bets due to the uncertainties. What it means : The outcome of a situation or event is unpredictable. Since an Ace is the strongest card, and your "hole" cards are hidden and known only by you, having an Ace in the hole means you have a hidden advantage that becomes known when revealed later in the game. Similar is an "Ace in the hole", which originates in Poker.

How it originated : Magicians or cheaters at cards would sometimes literally have a card up their sleeve, that they would sneakily pull out at the appropriate moment. What it means : Something important held in reserve, which others aren't aware of, and can be used to your advantage at the right time.


What it means : Honest and straightforward, not secret or deceptive. So let's learn how card games haven't just put cards into our hands, but have also put phrases and expressions into our English language! In fact, language usage like this is often used by sociologists, anthropologists, and historians, to measure how widely known card games were, because their use in language is clear evidence of their cultural importance and significance. Not every expression that might seem to be playing card related is necessarily so for example the idiom "call a spade a spade" actually originates in a first century Greek writing, well before playing cards even existed!īut many expressions and catch-phrases do originate with playing cards and card games, and this just goes to show the tremendous impact that cards and games have had on our culture. So it's no surprise that a lot of idiomatic expressions in English originate in the world of playing cards and card games like Poker. Many idioms have their background in older phrases that have changed over time, or originate in specialized areas and have come to have a broader usage. When this happens it is referred to as an idiom, which is a phrase that doesn't always follow the normal rules of meaning and grammar. Expressions and idioms derived from playing cards and card games by BoardGameGeek reviewer EndersGameĪs the English language has developed over time, many expressions have entered common usage, which give meanings to words quite different from the literal meanings of the individual words themselves.
