How do you use "play your cards close to your chest" in a sentence?

She plays her cards close to her chest in negotiations. The government is playing its cards close to its chest. He played his cards close to his chest until the last minute.

play your cards close to your chest

Q: What does "play your cards close to your chest" mean?

keep plans secret To be secretive about your intentions or resources. From card games where you hide your cards from other players.

Slang Term BritishAmericanAustralian Unknown Neutral

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Meaning: keep plans secret

不透露计划

mantener los planes en secreto

計画を秘密にする

속내를 드러내지 않다

To be secretive about your intentions or resources. From card games where you hide your cards from other players.

对自己的意图或资源保密。源自纸牌游戏中不让其他玩家看到自己手牌的做法。

Ser reservado sobre tus intenciones o recursos. Proviene de los juegos de cartas, donde escondes tus cartas de los demás jugadores.

自分の意図や手段を隠すこと。トランプで他のプレーヤーに手札を見せないようにすることに由来する。

자신의 의도나 자원을 비밀로 하는 것. 카드 게임에서 다른 플레이어에게 패를 숨기는 데서 유래.

Examples

She plays her cards close to her chest in negotiations.
她在谈判中不露底牌。
No muestra sus cartas en las negociaciones.
彼女は交渉で手の内を見せない。
그녀는 협상에서 속내를 전혀 드러내지 않는다.
The government is playing its cards close to its chest.
政府对此讳莫如深。
El gobierno no revela sus cartas.
政府は手の内を明かそうとしない。
정부는 속내를 드러내려 하지 않는다.
He played his cards close to his chest until the last minute.
他直到最后一刻才亮出底牌。
Se guardó sus cartas hasta el último momento.
彼はギリギリまで手の内を隠していた。
그는 마지막 순간까지 속내를 숨기고 있었다.

Pronunciation

Usage Guide

Context: strategy, secrecy

Tone: observational

✓ Do Say

Describe secretive behaviour
描述保密行为
Describir comportamiento reservado
秘密主義的な態度を表現する
비밀스러운 행동을 설명할 때

✗ Don't Say

For open people
不用于坦诚的人
No se usa para personas abiertas
オープンな人に対しては使わない
개방적인 사람에 대해

Origin & History

From card games - holding your cards close to your chest prevents others from seeing them.

Cultural Context

Era: timeless

Generation: all ages

Social background: all