stand pat

present singular third person stands pat · participle present standing pat · participle past stood pat · past stood pat

1. intransitivecard gamesTo play one's hand without drawing any more cards.

   With a mixed hand and the highest card the curse of Scotland, I've seen that man stand pat in a game with four millionaire mining men.

   1920, Peter B. Kyne, chapter IV, in The Understanding Heart

2. intransitiveblackjackTo stop hitting; to declare one's hand as final.

   After getting a hand of 20, the player stood pat.

   Synonyms: stand, stick

3. idiomaticTo resist changes.

   China has cut rates and allowed banks to boost lending, while some countries, such as South Korea have stood pat, fearful that inflation pressures could reignite.

   2012, "Asia's Local Growth Dilemma", Wall Street Journal, by Alex Frangos, 21st of July