to hold the cards
8
6.1
- idiom
- Informal
:
tener la ventaja
- In negotiations, having the right information means you hold the cards and can make the best decisions.
You're very persistent, but I still hold all the cards here.
- You're very persistent, but I still hold all the cards here.
- And these YouTube creators, they may have been laughed at years ago when it was first starting out, but they are holding all the cards now.
Examples
-
Mubarak was said to hold all the cards too.
Blog text (27) -
We must pick those spots where the stakes are highest for us and where we hold the cards that'll give us the greatest opportunity to prevail.
-
Retailers are starting to get to the point where they hold most of the cards.
Blog text (12) -
Re fight with Congress - the first two years Obama held all the cards.
Blog text (4) -
Republicans hold all the cards by appearing ready to destroy the economy.
Blog text (26) -
As I noted before, unrestricted free agents hold all of the cards.
Blog text (27) -
In non-union Hall County, management held all the cards in this deadly game.
Academic text (2007) -
All our blustering about freedom and capitalism; it is China that holds all the cards.
Blog text (10) -
We're holding the cards.
-
During the debate, the politician who presented new evidence clearly held the cards, swaying public opinion.
Synonyms
9
6.6
To have power over people or situations
7
5.5
To have complete control and a strong advantage in a situation
To keep an advantage or control over others
Antonyms
How Much Control
275
3.7
- Formal
∞
4.9
- Informal
99
4.2
- Informal
8
6.1
310
3.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
hold + the + cards
There is a clear literal connection—'hold' means to possess and 'cards' evokes card games—so one can infer a metaphor of possessing resources. However, the extension from possessing cards to having control or advantage is culturally mediated and idiomatic, so a B1 learner who only knows the words would likely not fully predict the intended meaning without exposure.
Etymology
The idiom hold the cards comes from card games: the player who literally holds the cards knows their hand while others do not, so they can make the best moves. That's why when someone 'to have control or an advantage' in a situation, we say they hold the cards.