lay one's cards on the table

A form of put one's cards on the table — To reveal one's true intentions, beliefs, feelings, or other previously concealed facts about one's situation; to speak frankly.

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Meanings

verblay one's cards on the table (third-person singular simple present lays one's cards on the table, present participle laying one's cards on the table, simple past and past participle laid one's cards on the table)

present singular third person lays one's cards on the table · participle present laying one's cards on the table · participle past laid one's cards on the table · past laid one's cards on the table

  1. alternativeAlternative form of put one's cards on the table.

    "You may as well lay your cards on the table. Where is she—what have you done with her?"

    1915, Arthur B. Reeve, chapter 22, in The Gold of the Gods
Cite this entry
APA

lay one's cards on the table. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lay%20one's%20cards%20on%20the%20table

MLA

“lay one's cards on the table.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lay%20one's%20cards%20on%20the%20table. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lay one's cards on the table,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lay%20one's%20cards%20on%20the%20table.

Source: lay one's cards on the table on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.