to sweep the hoard
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To win and carry off all the stakes in a game of cards, or all the prizes at some meeting.
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 “to sweep the hoard” mean?
To win and carry off all the stakes in a game of cards, or all the prizes at some meeting.
Is “to sweep the hoard” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.