Origin Of The Term Poker Face
Origin Of The Term Poker Face 5,6/10 4715 votes
noun
- Another word for poker face. Find more ways to say poker face, along with related words, antonyms and example phrases at Thesaurus.com, the world's most trusted free thesaurus.
- Poker face definition: 1. An expression on someone's face that does not show what they are thinking or feeling: 2.
- The oldest known use of the expression poker face is in the 1870s, in a book explaining the game of poker. It wasn’t long before the term poker face migrated into popular language and took on the meaning of an inscrutable expression on someone’s face. The plural form of poker face is poker faces.
1An impassive expression that hides one's true feelings.
‘In Europe and North America, these display rules encourage vivid facial expressions of emotion; a poker face is generally regarded as dull or deceptive.’- ‘Scott hid his grin behind a poker face - something he'd learned from Johnny.’
- ‘When we express our goodwill, we usually use a smile or a welcoming expression, not just a political poker face.’
- ‘He looked like he was brooding, but was hiding it behind the perfect poker face.’
- ‘Without comment, he took the two cards he needed, hiding his contempt behind his poker face.’
- ‘When he told me, I kept my poker face, but my insides went away.’
- ‘He kept a poker face, reported the facts, and protected his sources.’
- ‘My question is, when you know the contestant is giving you the wrong answer and a lot of money is at stake, how do you keep your poker face?’
- ‘‘Now you're sure you know the rules’ I asked them over the top of my glasses with my sternest poker face.’
- ‘Maguire walks this line with great skill and an unbelievable poker face.’
- ‘He called his boss at the forwarding company ‘stoneman,’ because his boss has a poker face.’
- ‘Does he regularly practice his poker face in front of the mirror?’
- ‘Students usually keep a poker face because they don't want to be called on.’
- ‘It's a poker face that's required in this game, and I've never been much good at cards.’
- ‘The joy of it is in the sweat and butterflies, the clamped lips and steely eyes of the poker face.’
- ‘‘Done,’ he said simply, sporting his best poker face.’
- ‘‘Well,’ putting on her best poker face, Jennifer continued.’
- ‘Years of practice in maintaining a poker face allowed him to take in his stride the invasion of his office by young women in light, summer dresses and a tale about one of them digging up a fortune while creating a winter herb garden.’
- ‘The thing is, I still have to put my poker face up.’
- ‘My hands shook from fear but I kept my poker face.’
- 1.1A person with a poker face.
Poker Face (noun): an impassive expression that hides one's true feelings. Having a poker face is both a gift and a curse. While you can hide your thoughts and feelings from everyone else, a lot. Proverbs - a list of hundreds of the proverbs that give meaning to our language like no other form of expression.; American Expressions - Divided by a common language? Not when you understand the phrases that were born in the USA. Phrases coined by Shakespeare - The Bard of Avon, he gave us more words and expressions than anyone else.; Nautical phrases Ahoy there, me hearties, here's the.
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poker face
A blank, emotionless expression that gives no indication of one's thoughts or intentions. Poker players use such an expression so as not to give their opponents any clues about which cards they are holding. I kept looking over to see if she was impressed, but she wore a poker face throughout the performance.Now, make sure you keep your poker face on for these negotiations—we can't let them know where we stand.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
poker face
A visage lacking any expression that can be interpreted, as in Whenever Betty attended one of her children's performances, she managed to keep a poker face . This term alludes to the facial expression of a poker player who is expert at concealing his feelings about his hand. [c. 1880]
Origin Of The Phrase Poker Face
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
poker face, a
Total lack of expression; deadpan. This term comes from gambling, where the astute player tries not to betray the quality of his or her hand by remaining expressionless. Originating in the late nineteenth century, the term was transferred to other areas in which individuals tried hard not to betray their thoughts. C. E. Mulford used it in his western novel, Rustler’s Valley (1924): “He glanced around the circle and found poker faces.”
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer
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