to stack the deck
7
7.5
- idiom
- Informal
:
manipular
- Republicans maintained control in the House only because they have abused power to stack the deck through gerrymandering.
The world is stacking the deck in a way that favors selfishness.
- The world is stacking the deck in a way that favors selfishness.
- Another solution is for us to stack the deck in our favour.
- So the Blue Zones of Happiness book is more about what you can do to design your surroundings to stack the deck in favor of happiness.
- And these are also the entitled parents that try to stack the deck so their child doesn't experience any disappointment.
- And so if that's true, then we have significantly less control and at the same time more control over our behavior if we can stack the deck in our favor.
- And maybe you think I stacked the deck like the film is shot in a sex dungeon.
- And a way that I've found the best way that I've found is to stack the deck by it not being near me.
Examples
-
Sometimes, it is wise to stack the deck a bit by making sure your first choice is an enthusiastic student.
Academic text (2006) -
Either ClimateDialogue wants an honest debate, or they want to stack the deck.
Blog text (21) -
Another solution is for us to stack the deck in our favour.
-
The intent is only to stack the deck in your favor.
Blog text (20) -
Even as the Democrats stack the deck for themselves.
Blog text (3) -
The system that stacks the deck so a few people have everything.
-
But look, this is where things wind up if you keep stacking the deck in favor of management.
Blog text (34) -
In any event, H.R. 1 stacks the deck in favor of private plans.
Academic text (2003) -
"Our members are always looking for an opportunity to compete, but you can't stack the deck against them."
Academic text (2007) -
Both companies were attempting to stack the deck in their favor to ensure a successful merger.
Synonyms
114
6.9
To arrange something dishonestly to get the result you want
73
6.8
To put people or things in a way that gives one side an unfair advantage
36
7.6
To try to get an unfair advantage by using the rules
1
8.5
To make a process unfair to give someone an advantage
1
7.7
Use clever or dishonest moves to get an advantage
How Unfair
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal constituents ('stack' = arrange/pile, 'deck' = pack of cards) give a clear image of arranging cards, which plausibly extends to 'arranging outcomes' and suggests unfair manipulation. However, the specific idiomatic sense of rigging a situation requires cultural knowledge of card‑stacking as cheating and is not fully predictable from the words alone, so it is only partially transparent to a B1 learner.
Etymology
The idiom stack the deck comes from card games, where a cheater would secretly stack the deck so some players got winning cards. That's why it now means 'to arrange things unfairly to get an advantage'.