This is an All Ears English podcast, episode 2406.
Play your cards right with English idioms. Welcome to the All Ears English podcast, downloaded more than 200 million times.
Are you feeling stuck with your English?
We'll show you how to become fearless and fluent by focusing on connection, not perfection with your American hosts Aubrey Carter, the IELTS Whiz, and Lindsey McMahon, the English Adventurer.
Coming to you from Arizona and Colorado, USA.
And to get your transcripts delivered by email every week, go to allearsenglish .com forward slash subscribe.
Do you like to play cards?
Did you know that in American English we have 15 idioms that involve card playing?
Find out how to stack the deck in your favor when it comes to these English idioms. Are you tired of feeling stuck in meetings, interviews, or presentations?
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Find out if you're b1 b2 or c1 level at all ears English comm slash fluency score That's all ears English comm slash fl you ENCY score Hello Aubrey, how's it going?
I have a question for you actually.
Hey, let's hear it Well, I actually already know the answer to this, but do you like playing card games?
I love playing card games.
You know, and you guys, if you've been listening to the podcast for a while, you probably know this.
I love games, especially card games.
And often like if people just want to chat, I'll be the one that's like, how about a game?
How about a play game?
Yeah. You are the person that annoys me.
That's me. Yes. Sorry, Lindsay.
Because I'm exactly the opposite, right?
Can't we just sit and chat?
to know people and have good conversation.
Like I don't want to play games really, but hey a lot of people agree with you and maybe some people agree with me.
So I'm curious what camp our listeners are in.
Maybe that will be our poll today.
Yeah. Absolutely. Right?
Be sure to fill out the Spotify poll because we would like to know.
I also prefer like games where you are able to get to know each other and they, we've talked about these before too, where they spark an interesting conversation.
I love those kind of games as well.
Yes, yeah. And there's a lot of great ones.
There's actually one have you played myself, I think we talked about this on the podcast before.
We talked about that and that was something kind of strange came up with your brother in law or something.
Yeah, that happens.
Yes, yes, yes. These are good campfire games when you actually, you're there to build a relationship, not so much to like play poker, right?
And so, um, you get to know people on a deeper level through those kinds of games, but it can be kind of intense because sometimes I just feel a little lazy like to open up.
Right? Yes, exactly.
Right. Those are so interesting.
But today we're focusing on card games, because there are over 15 idioms in English that reference playing cards.
Yeah. I was kind of surprised.
So this was inspired by an episode from the past, Day to the End, and we'll share that in case you missed it.
And we decided to do a follow up, but this will be a three -part series because there are so many interesting idioms in English.
And a lot of them, we also use at work.
So this is the first episode here and then two and three will be on business English.
So be sure to follow both podcasts so that you don't miss any of these.
Oh really good stuff.
I can't wait. So open the search bar now and if you're not currently following business English type in business English, the yellow will come up and hit the full button on that show so you're ready for parts two and three.
Okay, good. Awesome.
So let's dive in. The first one is play your cards right.
This is so fun. It means to act in a way that is likely to lead to success, a successful outcome.
Yes. I love that one.
So, you might say, if you play your cards right, I'll let you in on a secret.
Yeah. My dad used to say this all the time when I was growing up.
Can we get ice cream if you play your cards right?
Right? It's just like a dad thing to say.
I don't know. Totally.
I say it too, so I probably – me and your dad would get along I think.
Because I don't want to just be like if you're good, right?
If you behave. It's more fun to be like if you play your cards right, we'll see.
If you say if you behave, that feels too strict and formal to me.
So here's another example.
I was going to meet him for drinks but he didn't play his cards right.
Oh, so we need a little bit more context there, right?
Maybe he wasn't responding to your text or who knows, anything could happen.
Whatever they did, their behavior did not merit, you know, a date.
Maybe this could be about people meeting through the apps and then you're planning to meet for drinks and then something goes wrong in the text.
You're like, nope, he didn't play his cards right.
we're done here. I'm going to recommit to using this one because I love it.
I love the way it sounds.
It's nice and casual, although when someone asks you for something it can feel a little bit transactional, and this is a way to soften that fact that they have to be good, they have to do something well or correct, but you soften that by saying if you play your cards right.
Yes, I'm excited for you to start using it.
It's fun when my partner's like, hey, do you want to go for a date or something?
Like, well, if you play your cards !" Right?
And I'm just being playful.
Totally. I love that.
Very cool. Okay, that's the best one, for sure.
What's number two? Okay, two is in the cards.
It means something that is very likely to happen or destined.
If you imagine this Four Ordained Destiny, we'll say it's in the cards.
And this is sort of referring more to tarot cards.
There are also cards where you sort of read someone's aura or their future.
And so that's a little more of this when you say something is in the cards.
Yeah, this is really interesting because when we interviewed, we've been speaking about our professional English Level 1 course that just came out.
When we interviewed Kate who's a financial analyst with a big banking company in London she actually used the phrase on the cards.
It's not on the cards and I'm looking it up now and yeah, I mean maybe… More common in the UK, maybe on the cards.
Yeah, British variation of in the cards.
Yeah, interesting. It might be more, you know, how sometimes people will say online instead of in -line.
There are different propositions depending on the region.
Yeah, so yeah, I say in the cards and for example, you know, I think a promotion is in the cards for me if you think you're going to be promoted.
It means you see it potentially in your future.
Yes. Or, I was hoping to get that job, but I guess, it's not in the cards, not in the cards.
What a great way to frame like, if you don't, if you're not offered a position instead of being like, oh, I'm so bummed, I wasn't hired.
You'd be like, oh, it's not in the cards.
Right, it's not in the cards.
It's not in my destiny, it's not meant to be, and that kind of releases a little bit of stress about things, yes.
Yeah, it was never meant to work out, I love that.
Right, and number three, stacked deck.
Now this one's a little less common, but the deck is stacked against someone, right?
Mmm -hmm, yeah, so it's a situation where someone has an unfair advantage or where the odds are heavily in their favor.
We hear this a lot in sports.
I say this, right? If teams, when I'm playing volleyball, are not even, it'll be like, okay, you know, they've got a stacked deck, we'll just do our best. Interesting, they've got a stacked.
Yeah, I don't use the phrase, they've got a stacked deck, but I do use the cards are stacked against someone.
Would you say like the team is stacked to mean like they have a benefit?
I've never heard that, but it doesn't mean it's not a thing.
So this is one of those like where we'll shorten it instead of, you know, the grass is always greener on the other side.
We'll shorten it. And same thing here.
We'll just say they're stacked.
Right? Something is stacked against us.
The team is stacked and it's this idiom shortened.
Hmm. Very interesting.
Or I feel like I have a stacked deck at work since our team works so well together.
Interesting. So this is conveying this in a positive tone.
I've heard You and your teammates have all of these great skills.
So you're like, oh, okay, we've got a stacked deck.
We're going to do great.
Oh, really interesting.
Yeah. I've actually heard that used more in the, in the, uh, disadvantageous sense.
So if someone has the deck stacked against them, maybe they have some kind of disadvantage like in society, for example, like a more societal comment.
Right. And that is more common I think, but you will hear it this way.
It can be used this way as well.
This actually comes from, especially poker when they're using multiple decks.
someone might be able to count cards, and if the deck is stacked, that means there are still a lot of good cards in the deck.
Ah, very enlightening.
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Okay, Aubrey. We're on number four.
Play ones cards close to the chest, right?
What does this mean?
It means like to be secretive or cautious about one's plans.
So for example, I don't know what her plans are.
She plays her cards really close to the chest. Just means like they're not an open box or the opposite of being an open book.
Yes. Or I usually play my cards close to the chest, but lately I find myself being an open book.
so someone has changed.
They've decided to open up, right.
And we talk about this in relationships a lot, too.
If you're playing your cards too close to the chest not being open, then it's hard to let people in for a relationship.
For sure. And number five, I love it because it's been made famous by Lady Gaga.
Right. All of our listeners will know this term.
What does it mean, Aubrey?
Yeah, it's an impassive expression that hides one's true feelings.
So when you're playing poker, you can't show what car your cards are.
You can't be obviously excited Yeah, you know or upset.
So we say this but not just about cards, right?
You might say You know, this is actually about guard. Don't go to the casino You have a terrible poker face, but that's also not really talking about going to the casino You're telling someone whatever they're feeling you can see on their face.
I would be terrible poker because everything's on my face Or he has a good poker face.
I can't tell what he's thinking, right?
And that is definitely an advantage in many ways in life, I think.
Yeah, it's true. I'm also not good at this.
I think what I'm thinking and feeling shows on my face.
I have an open book.
There are benefits and drawbacks for sure.
There are benefits and drawbacks.
Maybe it makes people more trustworthy.
But I think being someone that doesn't have a poker face can be a little inconvenient at times.
Definitely, right? Sometimes you need that poker face to hide your emotions.
Yeah, for sure. All right.
Okay. So in our role -play today, we are at a baseball game.
Fun. It's springtime, so it makes sense, right?
I know. It's appropriate.
I'm dying to get out to a baseball game.
They do spring training games here in Arizona.
Those are happening now.
I'm like, oh I want to go to one.
Yes. I kind of miss living in Boston because the Red Sox were such a big deal there.
But here in Denver, baseball's like a little less of a deal.
Less of a big deal.
So anyways. All right, I'll start us out.
The Dodgers are winning by so much. Seems like they have a bit of a stacked deck.
Yeah, I'll win for the Cubs.
Doesn't seem like it's in the Cards.
I know you're a Cubs fan, but you don't look too upset.
Maybe you just have a good poker face.
I'm a Cubs fan, but it's not over till it's over.
Okay, well I'm gonna get us drinks.
I think we played our cards right, waiting for the line to die down.
Yeah, and what I like about this conversation is it's so realistic because we do move from one topic to the next so quickly, as native speakers, right?
Absolutely, right, yeah.
taking comments on all these different things.
It's not a thread that comes through and I think that's one thing I want to make sure our listeners pay attention to.
Right? Yes, right. Let's go through this.
First, I'm pointing out the score, the Dodgers are ahead and then I say, it seems like they have a bit of a stacked deck and I'm talking about their team being a lot better, which I have heard Dodgers fans talk about this.
They have a Japanese player who's amazing.
Everyone loves him.
I should know his name, but I'm not a huge baseball fan.
Do you know it? I think it's Hiroki -something.
Our listeners are definitely going to know.
I know, our listeners are all thinking it because he's so famous.
And I knew it, I've known it over the time and now I can't think of it right now, but I think people say this, they're like, oh, he has given the Dodgers a stacked deck because now they're so much better than everybody else.
Yes, he's really good, for sure, and baseball is huge in Japan.
Awesome, that's so fun.
So I actually went to a baseball game there.
It was super fun. Oh, that would be fun.
I love baseball. Yes, good, okay, where are we at here?
So then you said, a win for the Cubs doesn't seem like it's in the Cards.
So you're predicting, you're saying like it's probably not going to happen, right?
That's not the future we're looking at.
Maybe it's like 12 to 0.
A win for the Cubs is not in the Cards.
Not in the Cards. Unlikely to happen.
And then you said, I know your Cubs fan, but you don't look too upset.
Maybe you just have a good poker face, right?
I'm trying to figure you out.
Right. And it's like, maybe you aren't as big of a fan as I thought, or you just have a good poker face and you're hating how upset you are.
Yeah. And then I pushed back and I said, oh, it's not over until it's over, which is a very common expression in sports or competition.
Right. Absolutely. Right.
It's like the score might be really uneven right now, but there's always the comeback.
Right. There's always the story of someone coming back.
And so you never know who never knows.
Yes. And what's the last thing that you said, Aubrey.
And then I said, I think we played our cards right.
Waiting for the line to die down.
So maybe when we got there, the line for a beer was a mile long.
We're like, let's wait.
Yeah, we played our cards, right?
We made the right choice and the line died down and now I can go and not have to wait in a long line Yeah, and again you're making a comment and it's not rude that you have gone to another topic.
It's it's normal, right?
I'm gonna go get us drinks and and then maybe when you come back You're gonna pick up that topic again of you know The Dodgers gonna win or not, right and we have talked about this before on the podcast But those two tiny words I said at the beginning of my statement do matter I said, okay say, well, I'm gonna get us drinks.
It would be strange if you say it's not over till it's over, and I immediately say, I'm gonna get us drinks.
You're right. You know those little transitions.
It's vital to pivot with these little words.
And I do think we've covered that on the show, but I think maybe we should revisit that on the show because it's so natural and native to do this, but you're so right.
You do need some kind of transition and it could be as simple as, okay, well, blah, blah, blah.
You need something.
Okay, so we'll come back to that another day.
So there's lots of ways we do that.
So let's definitely cover that.
Hit follow so you don't Don't miss it.
Perfect. Guys, go check out All Airs English, 2334.
What do crayons, tools and chandeliers have in common?
Yeah, that's where this came up.
You guys shared not playing with a full deck.
So that's also an idiom about card playing.
And then not the sharpest tool in the shed.
Those mean the same thing, right?
They're kind of silly, talking about someone's intelligence or making fun of someone for making a foolish mistake.
So if you missed that episode, go and check it out.
Oh, I'm excited for parts two and three of this topic over on—are they both on business English, Aubrey?
Both over there? Yes, exactly.
Right? There are so many idioms about card playing, and the rest of them really, we use both in everyday conversations and at work.
So even if you don't work in business, be sure to follow the business English podcast so that you get all of those other idioms. Love it.
And what's our takeaway for today?
We've gotten at some really important things to know about conversation, about culture.
What else? Yeah, and we use these idioms to connect in English, right?
If you aren't using idioms, your language is likely more formal, less playful, 15 idioms about card playing that you should be adding to your language to make it more interesting and fun and to connect more easily in English.
15 is so many and we'll cover them on this show, so get ready.
Hit follow on the business podcast and we'll see you over there very soon.
All right. See you next time.
All right. Take care, Aubrey.
Bye. Thanks for listening to all ears English.
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