he played his cards well
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
He acted judici- ously and skilfully, like a whist-player who plays his hand with judgment.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “he played his cards well” mean?
He acted judici- ously and skilfully, like a whist-player who plays his hand with judgment.
Is “he played his cards well” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.