have the cards in one's hands

verb

To have the initiative for, or the means of, success; to be in a position to control the outcome.

Similar
have the cards
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Meanings

verbhave the cards in one's hands (third-person singular simple present has the cards in one's hands, present participle having the cards in one's hands, simple past and past participle had the cards in one's hands)

present singular third person has the cards in one's hands · participle present having the cards in one's hands · participle past had the cards in one's hands · past had the cards in one's hands

  1. To have the initiative for, or the means of, success; to be in a position to control the outcome.

    Gogs bloud Iacke, haue we the cards in our hands? Lets take it vpon vs while we haue it.

    1593, anonymous author, The Life and Death of Iacke Straw […], →OCLC, Act I

    Synonyms: have the cards

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo have the initiative for, or the means of, success; to be in a position to control the outcome.

Similar
have the cards
Cite this entry
APA

have the cards in one's hands. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/have%20the%20cards%20in%20one's%20hands

MLA

“have the cards in one's hands.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/have%20the%20cards%20in%20one's%20hands. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “have the cards in one's hands,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/have%20the%20cards%20in%20one's%20hands.

Source: have the cards in one's hands on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.