Poker Face Idiom Meaning

  
  1. Poker Face Idiom Meaning
  2. Poker Face Meaning Idiom
  3. Poker Face Idiom Definition
  4. Poker Face Idiomatic Meaning

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. Definition of poker face.: an inscrutable face that reveals no hint of a person's thoughts or feelings Wright has a terrific poker face—I could see how he was able to keep things a secret right up through publication. — Lawrence Weschler Work is fun. I can lose myself in it, I laugh a lot, I feel like I'm very much myself here; there's no poker face.


Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Wikipedia.
  1. An expressionless face, as of a poker player trying to conceal the nature of his or her hand. Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
  2. Poker face - Examples: 1) The host will maintain a consistent poker face and stick to a strict regimen of neutral comments. 2) You better check the leaderboard because Dufner has golf's best poker face and he isn't giving anything away. 3) And so, with the best poker face I had, I sternly warned her that she had one more chance.
Like this video? Subscribe to our free daily email and get a new idiom video every day!

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.

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
See also:

Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content.
Poker face idiom meaning Link to this page:

noun

an expressionless face: He can tell a funny story with a poker face.
a person who has or deliberately assumes a poker face: It is impossible to tell what that poker face is really thinking.

QUIZZES

CAN YOU IDENTIFY LITERATURE’S FAMOUS OPENING LINES?

The opening line of any book should say, in the words of Stephen King, “Listen. Come in here. You want to know about this.” Right? So intriguing! But, alas, that is not how books begin. So, how well do you know the actual opening lines from some of literature's greatest novels? Correctly match these memorable openers with their works of fiction and consider yourself an excellent listener!
“If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth.”

Origin ofpoker face

OTHER WORDS FROM poker face

Poker Face Idiom Meaning

poker-faced,adjective

Words nearby poker face

pokelogan, Pokémon, poke one's nose into, poker, poker dice, poker face, poker-faced, poker machine, poker spine, pokerwork, pokeweed
Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to poker face

deadpan, mask, seriousness, straight face, impassivity, inscrutability

British Dictionary definitions forpoker face

noun

Poker Face Meaning Idiom

informala face without expression, as that of a poker player attempting to conceal the value of his cards
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Poker Face Idiom Definition

Idioms and Phrases withpoker face

Poker Face Idiomatic Meaning

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® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.