keep one's cards close to one's chest

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb

To avoid revealing one's thoughts, circumstances, or plans.
To hold one's hand close to one's chest so that other players cannot see the cards.

Pronunciation

En-au-keep one's cards close to one's chest.ogg LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-keep one's cards close to one's chest.wav

Word forms

keep one's cards close to one's chest keeps one's cards close to one's chest keeping one's cards close to one's chest kept one's cards close to one's chest

Etymology

The figurative sense is a self-evident extension from the literal sense.

Synonyms

chest one's cards hold one's cards close to one's chest play one's cards close to one's chest keep one's cards close to one's vest hold one's cards close to one's vest play one's cards close to one's vest keep one's counsel

Related words

hide the ball

This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.

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