keep one's cards close to one's chest
keep one's cards close to one's chest · keeps one's cards close to one's chest · kept one's cards close to one's chest · keeping one's cards close to one's chest
sich nicht in die Karten schauen lassen
To avoid revealing one's thoughts, circumstances, or plansTo avoid revealing one's thoughts, circumstances, or plans.
» Please keep me close in your chest.
LoverofEnglish · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
2 senses(figuratively, idiomatic)To avoid revealing one's thoughts, circumstances, or plans.
sich nicht in die Karten schauen lassen
To hold one's hand close to one's chest so that other players cannot see the cards.
Examples
1 sentencesPlease keep me close in your chest.
Translations
4 languagesDeutsch
By meaning 1
Translations:
Origin
The figurative sense is a self-evident extension from the literal sense.The figurative sense is a self-evident extension from the literal sense.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
keeps one's cards close to one's chest, keeping one's cards close to one's chest, kept one's cards close to one's chest, kept one's cards close to one's chest| Base form | keep one's cards close to one's chest · to keep one's cards close to one's chest |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | keeps one's cards close to one's chest |
| Present participle | keeping one's cards close to one's chest |
| Past simple | kept one's cards close to one's chest |
| Past participle | kept one's cards close to one's chest |
irregular · Lesson
Present simpleLesson
| I, you, we, they | keep one's cards close to one's chest |
| he, she, it | keeps one's cards close to one's chest |
Past simpleLesson
| all persons | kept one's cards close to one's chest |
Present perfectLesson
| I, you, we, they | have kept one's cards close to one's chest |
| he, she, it | has kept one's cards close to one's chest |
Future simple (will)Lesson
| all persons | will keep one's cards close to one's chest |
Synonyms
7 synonymsboth senses:hold one's cards close to one's chestplay one's cards close to one's chestkeep one's cards close to one's vesthold one's cards close to one's vestplay one's cards close to one's vest
Lessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, irregular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle