Poker Face Idiom Example
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- Poker face: Someone is described as having a poker face if their face is expressionless and without emotion. The term poker face is mostly used when talking about the card game poker; poker players don’t want people to know what they are thinking or feeling, so they force a straight face that hides all clues.
- An idiom is a word, group of words or phrase that has a figurative meaning that is not easily deduced from its literal definition. We will examine the definition of the expression poker face, where it came from and some examples of its use in sentences The loyalty program is also worth a look, wore a poker face idiom meaning. Wore a poker face.
- IDIOM ۩ Poker face - Meaning: Someone who has a poker face has an expressionless face that shows no emotion or reaction at all. Example: He sat with a poker face all through the show, revealing nothing of his thoughts.
This week’s post is written by Sophie Jackson, a freelance journalist specialising in politics, modern history and pop culture. You can find her on Twitter.
The phrase poker face is a phrase thrown around constantly to refer to keeping one’s emotions in check. Upon meeting someone with a stoic nature one might comment, “That’s quite a poker face you’ve got there.” In another instance one might say, “The boss can smell fear. If you go in there, You’d better have your poker face ready.”.
Sophie contacted me a few weeks ago and asked if she could contribute an article on poker idioms to this blog. I was delighted and honoured she chose English with a Twist and was only too happy to agree. She chose the topic of poker as part of her research into the historical and cultural implications of gambling.
Since you, my readers, are no strangers to posts about game and sports idioms used in everyday English, I felt that Sophie’s article would fit in naturally.
So without further ado, I present you Sophie Jackson.
From its origins in early 19th century America, poker has evolved into a universally loved game played by all kinds of people. It’s not surprising that the game’s terminology has come to manifest itself in everyday language. Most of us aren’t even conscious of referencing the timeless betting game when we say phrases such as ‘raising the stakes’ or ‘hitting the jackpot’. Whether you’re ‘calling someone’s bluff’ or ‘’ , you might be surprised as to how many poker idioms you commonly use.
Here are 6 more idioms with poker connections.
1.“The Cold War made everyone fear a political showdown.” (Confrontation)
The term ‘showdown’ is often used to describe a moment of truth in which two or more people will face each other in a final confrontation. The word is often used in sports commentaries when there is a final match or fight, but can describe any kind of conclusive climax-stage of a competition. The term was popularized by poker, where ‘showdown’ refers to the moment players throw down their cards face upward, revealing who has the winning hand.
2.She went home around midnight. I followed suit and left shortly thereafter.
In simple terms, ‘follow suit’ means to copy the actions of someone else. The phrase originates from card games. In poker, cards in the same suit can result in a Flush, Straight Flush or Royal Flush.
It was the French who invented the modern suits popularly used in card decks today. Some believe each suit symbolises a social division of Medieval society. Hearts represent the clergy with its associations to virtue, Spades depict the spear of a weapon and therefore nobility, whilst Diamonds is associated to wealth and represent traders. Clubs, lastly, might represent clover leaves and harvest – therefore symbolising farmers and peasants.
3.“Mr Dale is an unusual candidate. He’d be a total wildcard in government.”
You might have heard someone describe an unpredictable factor in some situation as a ‘wildcard’. What they are referring to is an undeterminable or risky element which could affect the outcome of a situation. You might describe the weather as a wildcard if it is always changing. In card games, a wildcard can be any card from the deck (usually a joker) determined by all players to be ‘flexible’. If the wild card gets dealt (deal = shuffle and distribute a hand ofcards), players can then decide what the wildcard represents to best benefit their hand.
4.“The museum is great, but the kicker is you have to queue for hours to get in.”
Similar to a wildcard, a ‘kicker’ (US and Canadian slang) can be used to describe an unexpected, sometimes disadvantageous factor, for example a clause in a contract or as in the example above, a disadvantage.
In poker, the ‘kicker’ is the highest unused card in a hand. The kicker is only needed if there is a tie between players, in which case the kicker card will determine the outcome. If the two strongest players have identical hands, the winner is therefore determined depending on which player has the highest leftover card.
5. “Don’t pass the buck by blaming your colleague.”
‘Passing the buck’ is a common phrase which describes shifting responsibility in order to avoid blame or conflict. President Truman’s famous sign on his Oval Office desk stated ‘the buck stops here’, implying there was no place with greater responsibility than the White House. Though commonly used in everyday language, few people are aware that the term originates from poker.
Usually, the responsibility to deal cards in a poker game shifts from player to player each round. This is to ensure no single player ends up always having to be the first or last to bet. Today, dealer responsibility is typically symbolised with a simple ‘dealer button’, however in the past a hunting knife made out of buck’s horn is believed to have been used, hence ‘pass the buck’.
6. “David bought pizza for the event but we all chipped in”.
‘Chipping in’ means contributing money to cover part of an overall cost. Of course, chips represent cash in poker, as you have to place chips in the middle of the table to take part in the game. ‘Chip’ was a 19th century English slang word for ‘shilling’.
Poker is one of those games which has come to develop strong cultural ties and has, as such, influenced the way we speak. Maybe the next time you tell someone to ‘cash in yourchips’, ‘play their cards right’ or that they are‘poker -faced’, you’ll come to think how curious it is that the English language has incorporated such poker idioms into everyday speech.
Thank you, Sophie.
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Ciao for now
Shanthi
If you’re teaching or learning English, one way to keep things interesting is to look at the use of idioms in music. One musician who certainly knows how to rock idioms is Lady Gaga.
Lady Gaga shocked the world in 2011 when she appeared at the MTV Video Music Awards wearing a dress made of meat… yuk! Love her or loathe her, her songs can be actually very useful if you are learning English as a second language. In this article, we take a look at the idioms contained within some of Lady Gaga’s most popular songs and tell you exactly what they mean.
Idioms in music
Lady Gaga Lyrics: Alejandro
You know that I love you, boy
Hot like Mexico, rejoice
At this point I gotta choose
Nothing to lose
Nothing to lose: Someone is described as having nothing to lose if they are in a bad situation that can’t get any worse, or there is no disadvantage to attempting to achieve something.
Example: “I am going to start my own business. I really hate my current job, so I have nothing to lose.”
Lady Gaga Lyrics: Alienated
Since I become a shooting star
I’ve been wondering where you are
Seems like your forever in a getaway
Momma told me that it would happen to me one day
Shooting star: A shooting star is someone who is rapidly rising to fame.
Example: “The American Idol contestants are shooting stars.”
Lady Gaga Lyrics: Fancy Pants
Let’s take off our fancy pants tonight
(Fancy, fancy, you’re so fancy)
Fancy pants: The term fancy pants is used to describe someone who acts in a manner that is perceived to be pretentious or over elaborate.
Example: “Eric is too much of a fancy pants for me. He is only interested in things that cost a lot of money.”
Lady Gaga Lyrics: Poker Face
Can’t read my, can’t read my
No he can’t read my poker face
Poker face: Someone is described as having a poker face if their face is expressionless and without emotion. The term poker face is mostly used when talking about the card game poker; poker players don’t want people to know what they are thinking or feeling, so they force a straight face that hides all clues. If they are holding a hand of cards and they don’t want the other players to have any idea what type of hand they have, they try to maintain a poker face.
Example: “Steve found it hard to preserve his poker face when he was dealt three kings.”
A little gambling is fun when you’re with me, I love it
Russian Roulette is not the same without a gun
Russian Roulette:Russian Roulette is a very dangerous game where a barrel gun is loaded with just one bullet. Players take turns to aim the gun at their head and pull the trigger. Eventually, one unlucky player will find the bullet and will be killed.
You are said to be playing Russian Roulette if you take unnecessary risks, or put yourself in a dangerous situation.
Example: “The man was sentenced to 5 years in prison for driving under the influence of alcohol. The judge said that he was playing Russian Roulette with other people’s lives.”
Lady Gaga Lyrics: Monster
That boy is bad
And honestly
He’s a wolf in disguise
But I can’t stop staring in those evil eyes
Wolf in disguise: Someone is described as being a wolf in disguise if they pretend to be nice or friendly but are really evil or dangerous.
Example: “The lawyer was a wolf in disguise. His questions were initially friendly, but he lured me into a false sense of security.”
Lady Gaga Lyrics: Red and Blue
Yeah I am red, you are blue
I’m old school and you’re so new
Old school: If someone is considered to be old school they are very traditional in their ways and thinking. It can be a negative term if the person described as being old school is being criticized for living in the past.
Example: “His teaching methods are just so old school. I hate his lessons.”
However, the term old school can also mean hip, cool and retro:
Example: “The DJ played some really cool old school tunes.”
Lady Gaga Lyrics: Starstruck
So starstruck, baby could you blow my heart up?
I’m so starstruck
Star struck:Starstruck is used to describe someone who is totally in awe of someone else’s celebrity status.
Example: “I was so starstruck when I met Lady Gaga that I couldn’t speak.”
Poker Face Idiom Example Sentence
Lady Gaga Lyrics: Wonderful
Looking for something crazy
beautiful nothing
now I’m talking in circles again
Taking in circles: To talk at length without making any real sense.
Example: “I couldn’t understand a thing that she was saying. She was talking in circles.”
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Poker Face Idiom Examples
Looking for more fun ways to learn idioms? Take a look at our guide to idioms about the human body.