Meanings
alternative in the cards
- idiomaticLikely to occur, probable.
"After all, there are two ends to every stick," he reminded her, "and it's quite on the cards for mine to be the one that next waggles. […]"
1934, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], The Bravo of London1 more example
Wolves, sensing the comeback of all comebacks was on the cards, kept pressing and set up an exciting finish when Ronald Zubar's header was judged to have crossed the line, even though it appeared that Nigel de Jong had successfully cleared the effort.
2011 January 15, Saj Chowdhury, “Man City 4 - 3 Wolves”, in BBC
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
Originally referring to the predictions of fortune-tellers using cards.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
on the cards. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20the%20cards
“on the cards.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20the%20cards. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “on the cards,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20the%20cards.
Source: on the cards on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.