2006-06-30 08:12:45 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Education & Reference ➔ Quotations
To "call someone's bluff" is to pit your own wits against theirs and assume (whether through intellect or just guessing) that they are lying about something.
An example would be:
A man walks into a bank with his hand in his pocket and tells the teller that he wants all the money. The teller "calls his bluff" by refusing to give him the money, with the assumption that he does not actually have a gun on him. This only applies when the person is right. (i.e. when the robber doesn't have a gun)
2006-06-30 08:18:48 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The one part missing in all the rest of these anwers is the meaning of the word, "call."
In poker, when another player makes a bet, the other players have the option to drop out, or "fold." It means they lay their cards down and are out of the hand, forfeiting any money they have already bet. If the player chooses to stay in the game, they match the bet offered. This allows them to "call" for the player to show his hand.
If the player had made a bet to make others think he had better card than he was actually holding, it means he was "bluffing." If the other player(s) don't believe he had a good hand, they match the bet and "call his bluff."
2006-06-30 15:31:27 · answer #2 · answered by Vince M 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's a figure of speech when you suspect somebody's lying and expose the truth. If your friend tells you he/she has a yacht, and talks about a party, say something like "I love yachts! Could I come onboard sometime?" to find out if he/she really has a yacht or is bluffing.
My understanding is that it comes from playing cards, poker in fact. People lie all the time in poker, called bluffing. Someone bets as if he/she has a super hand, but does not in fact have a good hand. If you "call," the person who has lied about the "great" cards has to reveal the hand, and they lose the hand. I'm not up on poker rules, though, so the details might be off. (Notice I'm not bluffing.)
2006-06-30 15:23:27 · answer #3 · answered by Compulsive Reader 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It come from poker. Bluffing in poker is when you pretend you have better or worse cards than you have in the hopes that you opponents will make a bad play. Out of poker, when you "call someone's bluff" you ignore a threat by them, assuming they won't go through with the threat.
2006-06-30 15:18:25 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Poker expression. In poker, you don't necessarily need a better hand than your opponent to win. If you can fool him or bluff him in to thinking your hand is better than his, he'll give up and "let" you win. On the other hand, if he really thinks his hand is better than yours, he might "call your bluff" i.e. ask you to prove it.
2006-06-30 22:47:01 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is a reference to thinking that someone is lying and telling them what you think about it. Just like in poker, you think the other person doesn't have good cards so you "call" or stay in the game. Because you believe that you are going to win.
2006-07-01 01:11:13 · answer #6 · answered by javajunkie28 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
to catch them in a lie
2006-07-06 17:31:34 · answer #7 · answered by Neil G 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It means you don't believe what they're telling you so you then demand they prove it.
2006-06-30 15:16:20 · answer #8 · answered by buklao 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To know there lying.
2006-06-30 15:15:51 · answer #9 · answered by Nicholais S 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To realize when they are lying.
2006-06-30 15:16:24 · answer #10 · answered by dancergurl 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋