call someone's bluff



call someone's bluff

Expose someone's deception, invite a showdown, as in I don't believe they have enough capital; I'm going to call their bluff. This term comes from poker, where bluffing (pretending) that one has better cards than one's opponents is an intrinsic part of the game, and calling someone's bluff means forcing them to show their cards. By the late 1800s it was being applied to other enterprises. Also see show one's hand.
See also: bluff, call

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Emmanouel-Biblical Greek
Oakes[əukəz]
Pavlo-Ukrainian
LÁIlÁ-Sami
LucjuszLUWTS-yuwshPolish
CathrinKAHT-reenGerman