lay one's cards on the table

lay one's cards on the table
lay one's cards on the table & put one's cards on the table
Fig. to be very candid about one's position on some issue. (Alludes to laying playing cards on the table, face up, showing the cards.) •

All right. Let's lay our cards on the table and speak very candidly about this matter.

It's time we put our cards on the table and spoke honestly.

* * *
or[lay down one's cards] or[put one's cards on the table] {v. phr.}, {informal} To let someone know your position and interest openly; deal honestly; act without trickery or secrets. * /In talking about buying the property, Peterson laid his cards on the table about his plans for it./ * /Some of the graduates of the school were unfriendly toward the new superintendent, but he put his cards on the table and won their support./

Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • lay one's cards on the table — or[lay down one s cards] or[put one s cards on the table] {v. phr.}, {informal} To let someone know your position and interest openly; deal honestly; act without trickery or secrets. * /In talking about buying the property, Peterson laid his… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • lay\ one's\ cards\ on\ the\ table — • lay one s cards on the table • lay down one s cards • put one s cards on the table v. phr. informal To let someone know your position and interest openly; deal honestly; act without trickery or secrets. In talking about buying the property,… …   Словарь американских идиом

  • lay one's cards on the table — ► put (or lay) one s cards on the table be completely open and honest in declaring one s intentions. Main Entry: ↑card …   English terms dictionary

  • lay one's cards on the table — let someone know one s position and feelings openly, deal honestly about something He decided to lay his cards on the table and tell his boss about the job offer from the other company …   Idioms and examples

  • put (or lay) one's cards on the table — be completely open in declaring one s intentions. → card …   English new terms dictionary

  • put or lay one's cards on the table — idi put or lay one s cards on the table, to be completely straightforward …   From formal English to slang

  • put one's cards on the table — See: LAY ONE S CARDS ON THE TABLE …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • put one's cards on the table — See: LAY ONE S CARDS ON THE TABLE …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • put\ one's\ cards\ on\ the\ table — • lay one s cards on the table • lay down one s cards • put one s cards on the table v. phr. informal To let someone know your position and interest openly; deal honestly; act without trickery or secrets. In talking about buying the property,… …   Словарь американских идиом

  • lay one's cards on the table —  Make a full statement of one s position, concealing nothing …   A concise dictionary of English slang

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”