breast one's cards

English

Verb

breast one's cards (third-person singular simple present breasts one's cards, present participle breasting one's cards, simple past and past participle breasted one's cards)

1. Alternative form of chest one's cards
   1. To hold one's cards close to the chest.
      • 1995, Jane Peart, A Distant Dawn, →ISBN, page 25:

        Flynt shifted in his chair, breasting his cards, then glared at Sunny. "You'll have to wait till I play this hand.

      • 2006, The Bulletin - Issues 6536-6544, page 157:

        Some experts also use an extra eye, well trained in peripheral vision, to catch a glimpse of an opponent's cards - leading to the firm injunction, "Breast your cards, partner!"

      • 2018, Penny Flanagan, Surviving Hal, →ISBN:

        “Whose call?” Then as he sat down beside me, “Breast! Breast! Breast your cards, Nell.” I pressed my cards against my chest instinctively.

   2. To avoid revealing information.
      • 1996, Marilyn T. Quayle, The Campaign: A Novel, page 121:

        A firm believer in breasting his cards, Jenks was keeping the "Pulitzer" file under wraps a while longer.

      • 2014, Becky Lee Weyrich, Hot Winds from Bombay, →ISBN:

        But he must hold his tongue and breast his cards.

      • 2018, Michael Ondaatje, Warlight, →ISBN, page 51:

        We were careful not to mention other females The Darter had already escorted into the house, so we answered here inquiries about him somewhat stupidly, as if we could not remember much about his associates or even what he did, or where he might be. We knew he liked to breast his cards.