Poker Face Meaning. Definition: An expressionless face that does not reveal a person’s thoughts. Origin of Poker Face. This expression dates back to the second half of the 1800s. It comes from the card game poker. In poker, all the players have a hand of cards. They bet money on their hand. Poker face definition, an expressionless face: He can tell a funny story with a poker face. Poker face is an idiom that first appeared in the 1870s. An idiom is a word, group of words or phrase that has a figurative meaning that is not easily deduced from its literal definition. We will examine the definition of the expression poker face, where it came from and some examples of its use in sentences. A poker face is a facial expression that does not show any emotion, a facial expression that hides one’s feelings by appearing blank or neutral.
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Poker Face Idiom Meaning
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poker face
A blank, emotionless expression that gives no indication of one's thoughts or intentions. Poker players use such an expression so as not to give their opponents any clues about which cards they are holding. I kept looking over to see if she was impressed, but she wore a poker face throughout the performance.Now, make sure you keep your poker face on for these negotiations—we can't let them know where we stand.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
Wore A Poker Face Idiom Meaning
poker face
A visage lacking any expression that can be interpreted, as in Whenever Betty attended one of her children's performances, she managed to keep a poker face . This term alludes to the facial expression of a poker player who is expert at concealing his feelings about his hand. [c. 1880]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
poker face, a
Total lack of expression; deadpan. This term comes from gambling, where the astute player tries not to betray the quality of his or her hand by remaining expressionless. Originating in the late nineteenth century, the term was transferred to other areas in which individuals tried hard not to betray their thoughts. C. E. Mulford used it in his western novel, Rustler’s Valley (1924): “He glanced around the circle and found poker faces.”
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer
Poker Face Idiomatic Meaning
Poker Face Idiom Definition
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Poker Face Idiom Meaning And Sentence