Zijn kaarten tegen de borst houden
Example: Hij houdt zijn kaarten tegen de borst in het spel.
Definition
"Zijn kaarten tegen de borst houden" means to keep one's plans or intentions secret, not revealing what one is thinking or planning, especially in a situation where revealing them could weaken one's position or strategy.
Etymology
The phrase "zijn kaarten tegen de borst houden" literally translates to 'hold one's cards against the chest.' It originates from card games where players keep their cards close to prevent opponents from seeing them, symbolizing secrecy and caution in revealing information.
Learn to use this expression actively
"Zijn kaarten tegen de borst houden" appears in the Vocaplus list "Dutch - General - Idioms and Proverbs - (C1) - set 1", containing 100 commonly used expressions.
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to keep one's cards close to one's chest