house of cards

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house of cards

He built a tall house of cards on the wooden table.

Definition

Noun: 1. A literal, unstable structure built from playing cards: A fragile construction made by balancing playing cards against each other, easily collapsed. 2. A plan, organization, or situation that is insubstantial, risky, and destined to fail: A speculative scheme or system that depends on unstable factors beyond the planner's control; something with a weak foundation that is vulnerable to collapse.

Usage Examples
  • Literal Meaning:
    • The child spent all afternoon building an elaborate house of cards.
    • A slight breeze was enough to topple his house of cards.
  • Figurative Meaning:
    • Their business plan was a house of cards, relying entirely on a single investor who pulled out.
    • The dictator's regime was a house of cards that fell apart as soon as popular protests began.
    • Without trust, a relationship is just a house of cards.
Advanced Usage
  • "to build a house of cards": To create a plan or situation that is fundamentally unstable and fragile.
    • By ignoring the underlying data, the researchers were building a house of cards.
  • "to collapse like a house of cards" or "to come tumbling down like a house of cards": To fail suddenly and completely.
    • The company's stock price collapsed like a house of cards after the scandal was revealed.
Variants and Related Words
  • Cardcastle (noun): A less common synonym for the literal structure made of playing cards.
    • He built a tall cardcastle on the table.
Synonyms
  • Figurative: Fragile foundation, castle in the air, pie in the sky, bubble, house built on sand.
  • Literal: Card tower, card structure.
Related Idioms
  • A castle in the air: An unrealistic daydream or impractical plan.
    • While a house of cards implies a flawed but constructed plan, a castle in the air is often a pure fantasy.
  • Built on sand: Having a weak or insecure foundation.
    • The peace treaty was built on sand, with neither side truly committed.
house of cards

He built a tall house of cards on the wooden table.

Noun
  1. an unstable construction with playing cards
    • he built three levels of his cardcastle before it collapsed
  2. a speculative scheme that depends on unstable factors that the planner cannot control
    • his proposal was nothing but a house of cards
    • a real estate bubble

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