Definition

Noun: 1. A flimsy or unstable structure, literally or figuratively: A "card-house" is a structure built by balancing playing cards against each other. It is inherently unstable and collapses easily. This term is often used metaphorically to describe any plan, argument, or situation that is poorly constructed, fragile, and likely to fail.

Examples of Usage

• Literal:

  • The children spent the afternoon building an elaborate card-house on the living room floor.
  • A single sneeze was enough to bring the entire card-house tumbling down.

• Figurative/Metaphorical:

  • The prosecutor argued that the defendant's alibi was a card-house of lies that fell apart under questioning.
  • Their business plan was a card-house, built on unrealistic assumptions and wishful thinking.

Advanced Usage

• "House of cards": This is the more common and idiomatic variant of "card-house." The two terms are synonymous and can be used interchangeably in both literal and figurative contexts.
  • The company's financial empire turned out to be nothing but a house of cards.

Variants and Related Words

• House of cards (n.): The standard and more frequent synonym for "card-house."
• Cardcastle (n.): A less common, playful synonym.

Synonyms

• Fragile construct
• Unstable edifice
• Ricketty structure

Related Idioms

• A house of cards: Identical in meaning and usage to "card-house." It emphasizes the idea of a complex but fragile system that can collapse suddenly.
  • The political alliance was a house of cards, destined to fall as soon as internal disagreements arose.

Noun

1. an unstable construction with playing cards
   • he built three levels of his cardcastle before it collapsed