Meaning of Idiom ‘Cards Are Stacked Against’
When the cards are stacked against you (or someone), you face many problems or difficulties; to have an unfair disadvantage.
See stack the deck
Also used: deck is stacked against
Sentence Examples
“The cards are stacked against me but I’m not going to give up.”
“Having a disability, I’ve always felt like the deck is stacked against me.”
“The cards are stacked against the Democrats in this year’s election.”
“He wanted to be a professional basketball player but given his height, the cards were stacked against him.”
Origin
Based on stacking the deck, a method of cheating in card games where the deck is surreptitiously arranged so that the cheater will be dealt an advantageous hand. It has been used since the early 1800s.
More Cards Idioms
- Stack the Deck
- Put All Your Cards On the Table
- Pass The Buck
- Hold All the Cards
- Hold All The Aces
- Chip In, to
- Call Someone’s Bluff
- Ace Up Your Sleeve, an
