Idiom:  hold all the cards

Definition

Idiom:  hold all the cards

  • to be in complete control of something


Example sentences

— He may be the new manager but his secretary holds all the cards—she’s been working here for more than 20 years and has good relationships with everyone.

— Sadly for me, my ex-husband held all the cards in our relationship.

— I'd really like to go to summer camp but my parents hold all the cards and they just want me to stay at home.

— You're never really going to have a healthy relationship if one person holds all the cards.

— The managers hold all the cards at this company and they make all the decisions but pretend to incorporate our feedback.

— I worked so hard throughout junior high and high school to get the best grades but the college admissions counselors now hold all the cards about my future.

— Instead of holding all the cards about product decisions, we ask our customers for their opinions about new products, which is helped us become more profitable.

— Neither my husband nor I hold all the cards in our relationship—my mother-in-law does.


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