play the hand one is dealt

present singular third person plays the hand one is dealt · participle present playing the hand one is dealt · participle past played the hand one was dealt · past played the hand one was dealt · alternative play the hand dealt · alternative play the hand one was dealt · alternative play the hand that one is dealt · alternative play the hand that one was dealt

1. idiomaticinformalTo use the resources which one actually has available; to operate realistically, within the limits of one's circumstances.

   "Don't you care. Play the hand that's dealt you and let the boss worry."

   1919, William MacLeod Raine, chapter 6, in Oh, You Tex

   3 more examples

   "We have the players we have and I've got to play the hand dealt," Coslet said. "We are limited in what we can do."

   1992 October 1, Timothy W. Smith, “When the Going Gets Good, Jets Go Bad”, in New York Times, retrieved 09 Apr 2013

   "I am a great believer in self-management, that you must survive and find a way to play the hand you are dealt."

   2001 June 24, Martha Duffy, “Take This Job and Love It”, in Time

   There were mainstream candidates who seemed stronger than Mr Romney. . . . But the party must play the hand it is dealt, which appears to be Mr Romney.

   2012 January 2, Alex Spillius, “Mitt Romney: a safe pair of hands?”, in The Telegraph, UK, retrieved 09 Apr 2013