house of cards

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house of cards

n. pl. houses of cards

A flimsy structure, arrangement, or situation that is in danger of collapsing or failing: "The collapse of the rupiah ... has brought down a house of cards in overleveraged conglomerates" (Sander Thoenes).

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

house of cards

1. (Card Games) a tiered structure created by balancing playing cards on their edges

2. an unstable situation, plan, etc

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

house′ of cards′

a structure or plan that is insubstantial and subject to imminent collapse.

[1900–05]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	house of cards - a speculative scheme that depends on unstable factors that the planner cannot control; "his proposal was nothing but a house of cards"; "a real estate bubble" bubble scheme, strategy - an elaborate and systematic plan of action
	2.	house of cards - an unstable construction with playing cards; "he built three levels of his cardcastle before it collapsed" cardcastle, cardhouse, card-house structure, construction - a thing constructed; a complex entity constructed of many parts; "the structure consisted of a series of arches"; "she wore her hair in an amazing construction of whirls and ribbons"

Translations

Kartenhaus

korttitalo

castello di carte

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References in classic literature ?

But he had only to forget the artificial train of reasoning, and to turn from life itself to what had satisfied him while thinking in accordance with the fixed definitions, and all this artificial edifice fell to pieces at once like a house of cards, and it became clear that the edifice had been built up out of those transposed words, apart from anything in life more important than reason.

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The whole Diaz machine would go down like a house of cards. The border was ready to rise.

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By the glare, Adam could see the tower shake and tremble, and finally fall to pieces like a house of cards. The passing of the lightning left the sky again dark, but a blue flame fell downward from the tower, and, with inconceivable rapidity, running along the ground in the direction of Diana's Grove, reached the dark silent house, which in the instant burst into flame at a hundred different points.

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"Yes--I--no: yes, it was beautiful," he said, looking at her blindly, and wondering if, whenever he heard those two syllables, all his carefully built-up world would tumble about him like a house of cards.

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When your pupil was a little innocent child, did she ever amuse herself by building a house of cards?"

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My dear, it went down like a house of cards before my breath.

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I knew full well that should the bear make a determined effort to get at us, the rocks I had piled as a barrier would come tumbling down about his giant shoulders like a house of cards, and that he would walk directly in upon us.

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Indeed, House of Cards severely underestimated the possibilities of American democracy.

'House of Cards' Season 5 review: Close to being treasonous

A TV series I love I am breathlessly, overthe-top excited about House of Cards coming back at the end of May.

My TV with Ranvir Singh; Talk TV

HOUSE of Cards star Robin Wright has told of her shock at discovering she is paid less than co-star Kevin Spacey - despite being told they earn the same.

House of Cards star's pay gripe

The latest American production, now being seen in Iran, is the Netflix series "House of Cards," about a US politician's ruthless pursuit of the presidency.

Iran shows US films--if they meet seamy standards

It reckons Netflix, home of hit series House of Cards, will spend PS4billion a year on "original content" by 2018.