"keep one's cards close to one's chest" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_text": "Because playing cards kept close to one's chest are difficult to see for an opposing player.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "keeps one's cards close to one's chest",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "keeping one's cards close to one's chest",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "kept one's cards close to one's chest",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "kept one's cards close to one's chest",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "keep<,,kept> one's cards close to one's chest"
      },
      "expansion": "keep one's cards close to one's chest (third-person singular simple present keeps one's cards close to one's chest, present participle keeping one's cards close to one's chest, simple past and past participle kept one's cards close to one's chest)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1997, Sabine Rewald, “Balthus's Magic Mountain”, in The Burlington Magazine, volume 139, number 1134, page 626",
          "text": "Balthus has always kept his cards close to his chest. When I asked him if Summertime was a transcription of Poussin's Echo and Narcissus—a variant of his lost copy—he did not reply.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2002 December 25, Anil Netto, “Malaysia: Year of surprises and hardships”, in Asia Times, retrieved 2008-10-25",
          "text": "Abdullah has not yet revealed his choice for the No 2 post when he takes over as prime minister, preferring to keep his cards close to his chest.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2023 June 28, Ben Jones, “Are we getting rid of our (still useful) rolling stock too early?”, in RAIL, number 986, page 29",
          "text": "However, the operator is keeping its cards close to its chest.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To avoid revealing one's thoughts, circumstances, or plans."
      ],
      "id": "en-keep_one's_cards_close_to_one's_chest-en-verb-taYjB9aI",
      "links": [
        [
          "reveal",
          "reveal"
        ],
        [
          "thought",
          "thought"
        ],
        [
          "circumstance",
          "circumstance"
        ],
        [
          "plan",
          "plan"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To avoid revealing one's thoughts, circumstances, or plans."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "hide the ball"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "keep one's counsel"
        },
        {
          "word": "chest one's cards"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "salailla"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "pitää korttinsa piilossa"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "cacher son jeu"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "tags": [
            "imperfective"
          ],
          "word": "nie odkrywać kart"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "tags": [
            "perfective"
          ],
          "word": "nie odkryć kart"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "no soltar prenda"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-keep one's cards close to one's chest.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/b/b3/En-au-keep_one%27s_cards_close_to_one%27s_chest.ogg/En-au-keep_one%27s_cards_close_to_one%27s_chest.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/En-au-keep_one%27s_cards_close_to_one%27s_chest.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "keep one's cards close to one's chest"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "Because playing cards kept close to one's chest are difficult to see for an opposing player.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "keeps one's cards close to one's chest",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "keeping one's cards close to one's chest",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "kept one's cards close to one's chest",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "kept one's cards close to one's chest",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "keep<,,kept> one's cards close to one's chest"
      },
      "expansion": "keep one's cards close to one's chest (third-person singular simple present keeps one's cards close to one's chest, present participle keeping one's cards close to one's chest, simple past and past participle kept one's cards close to one's chest)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "hide the ball"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English idioms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English terms with audio links",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English verbs",
        "Translation table header lacks gloss"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1997, Sabine Rewald, “Balthus's Magic Mountain”, in The Burlington Magazine, volume 139, number 1134, page 626",
          "text": "Balthus has always kept his cards close to his chest. When I asked him if Summertime was a transcription of Poussin's Echo and Narcissus—a variant of his lost copy—he did not reply.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2002 December 25, Anil Netto, “Malaysia: Year of surprises and hardships”, in Asia Times, retrieved 2008-10-25",
          "text": "Abdullah has not yet revealed his choice for the No 2 post when he takes over as prime minister, preferring to keep his cards close to his chest.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2023 June 28, Ben Jones, “Are we getting rid of our (still useful) rolling stock too early?”, in RAIL, number 986, page 29",
          "text": "However, the operator is keeping its cards close to its chest.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To avoid revealing one's thoughts, circumstances, or plans."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "reveal",
          "reveal"
        ],
        [
          "thought",
          "thought"
        ],
        [
          "circumstance",
          "circumstance"
        ],
        [
          "plan",
          "plan"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To avoid revealing one's thoughts, circumstances, or plans."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "keep one's counsel"
        },
        {
          "word": "chest one's cards"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-keep one's cards close to one's chest.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/b/b3/En-au-keep_one%27s_cards_close_to_one%27s_chest.ogg/En-au-keep_one%27s_cards_close_to_one%27s_chest.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/En-au-keep_one%27s_cards_close_to_one%27s_chest.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "salailla"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "pitää korttinsa piilossa"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "cacher son jeu"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "tags": [
        "imperfective"
      ],
      "word": "nie odkrywać kart"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "tags": [
        "perfective"
      ],
      "word": "nie odkryć kart"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "no soltar prenda"
    }
  ],
  "word": "keep one's cards close to one's chest"
}