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call bluff

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call someone's bluff

to demand that someone prove a claim or is not being deceptive. All right, I'll call your bluff. Show me you can do it! Tom said, "You've made me really angry, and I'll punch you if you come any closer!" "Go ahead," said Bill, calling his bluff.

See also: bluff, call

call your bluff

to make someone do what they said they will do He said he would help, and now his opponents have called his bluff and asked him to provide the funds.

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of calling a bluff in a card game (forcing someone to show the cards they hold)

See also: bluff, call

call somebody's bluff

to make someone prove that what they are saying is true, or to make someone prove that they will really do what they say they will do, because you do not believe them

Usage notes: If you are playing a card game and you call someone's bluff, you force them to show you the cards they have.

Alice called his bluff and dared him to tell everyone what he knew about her.

See also: bluff, call

call (someone's) bluff

To demand proof for or respond in a challenging way to the claims or threats of another that one presumes to be false.

See also: bluff, call