

It is most commonly used to refer to buying a round of drinks at a bar or pub. An cheater at card games, using skill and deception to win.1. Have you met his new friends? He is swimming with sharks.ġ1 – A peculiar shark idiom native to Australia is to say “ he wouldn’t shout if a shark bit him” meaning that a person is very stingy with their money and will never buy something for somebody else. While card shark is now considered an acceptable term for a savvy cardsman, it’s only because of the evolution of language, derived from card sharp.
#CARD SHARK MEANING TV#
Also, Card Sharks was a popular, cards-themed TV game show in the 1970s and ’80s. It can also mean that you get involved in something with lots of enthusiasm or energy.Įxample – The roast chicken you have cooked looks absolutely delicious, I cannot wait to sink my teeth into it.Įxample 2 – That book you lent me is a fantastic read, I really sank my teeth into it over the weekend.ġ0 – To swim with sharks is to hang out or associate with dangerous people.Įxample – I really worry about Jim these days. Of course you wouldshark is a common term for somebody who succeeds thanks to a steely, hunter-like focus. I will be shark bait.Ĩ – Shark repellent is a measure or step taken by a company or corporation to stop itself from being taken over by another usually bigger one.Įxample – The board of directors at the clothing company came up with some shark repellent to prevent the Chinese firm from taking them over.ĩ – If you sink your teeth into something, can mean that you bite into it or eat it. In Hawaii, the term is used to describe strangers from out of town who go into the ocean.Įxample – I’m not going to swim out there by myself. If you want to keep sounding sharp, keep that ace up your sleeve and remember that a tricky expert in card playing is a card sharp.6 – A pool shark is someone who has a very good ability at shooting pool.Įxample – That guy over there is a total pool shark, he hasn’t lost a game all night!ħ – Shark bait is slang used to describe a person swimming or surfing alone and is, therefore, the only person likely to be attacked by a shark. (Reuters)įrom millionaire card sharks to home-game amateurs, players stake $10,000 each for a shot to win millions in poker's most popular variant.

"When you're sitting at the table with card sharks, you can't trust anyone," he said.

If you've ever confused a card sharp with a card shark, you're not alone, as these examples show: Best to avoid shark attacks and stick with card sharp. 3 A hammerhead is a person of low intelligence, meaning their head is as. A card shark might take a bite of your cards, but it's hard to play cards with fins. Example I wouldnt play poker against Tom if I were you, he is a real card shark. Maybe that's why there's a video game called Card Shark and a TV show called Card Sharks.

In addition to being a sharp-toothed marine animal, the word shark has been used to mean "a dishonest person who preys on others" since the 1500s. (Washington Times)Ĭard sharp is correct, but seeing it spelled card shark is common. One who, through a combination of skill and conning tactics, is able to coerce card players into senses of false security, then easily defeat them and earn large amounts of money. (The Guardian)Ī nervous twitch or other "tell" can alert a card sharp to what an opponent may be holding. Gold's industry peers liken the way she does her job to the practice of an alchemist, a snake charmer, a card sharp, as if she were performing some kind of shadowy magic. In fact, there's a sixteenth-century painting by the Italian painter Caravaggio called "Cardsharps." In the painting, a card player is so engrossed in the game that he doesn't realize that another man is sneaking a peek at his cards and signalling to the card sharp, another player who has extra cards secretly tucked into his pants. The phrase is also spelled card-sharp and cardsharp. A card sharp is someone who makes money playing card games such as poker.Ī sharp is an expert, but the noun phrase card sharp means not just an expert, but a cheat.
