to hold all the cards
7
5.5
- idiom
- Informal
:
tener todas las cartas
- You hold all the cards.
- the client holds all the cards
- the woman holds all the cards
- the man holds all the cards
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) -
Republicans hold all the cards by appearing ready to destroy the economy.
Blog text (26) -
Yeah, but you still hold all the cards, right?
-
Remember, you guys hold all the cards.
-
See, I hold all the cards.
-
We're holding all the cards.
-
Emily, I hold all the cards here.
-
Re fight with Congress - the first two years Obama held all the cards.
Blog text (4) -
You have the exterior surrounded, Commander, but I hold all the cards.
-
In the negotiation, she definitely holds all the cards with her strong position.
Synonyms
48
3.7
To rise above a place and be clearly visible from around it
8
6.1
To have control or an advantage in a situation
To keep an advantage or control over others
Antonyms
How Powerful
- Informal
7
5.5
275
3.7
- Informal
99
4.2
- Informal
54
3.2
310
3.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal composition — 'to possess all the cards' — directly suggests having the winning position in a card game, so a learner who knows the words and the idea of card-play advantage can infer the extended meaning of control or advantage. However, the expression relies on a metaphorical transfer from card games to general situations and on cultural knowledge of card-play conventions, so its meaning is not fully predictable for all B1 learners.
Etymology
The idiom hold all the cards comes from card games: if one player really holds all the strong cards, they can control the play and win. So the phrase means 'to have complete control'.