Mentor Josephan's Idiom of The Day #9

6 years ago

CALL Her/His BLUFF

1.  To make someone prove that what they are saying is true, or to make someone prove that they will really do what they say, because you do not believe them.
2.  To challenge what someone is claiming
When she threatened to quit her job, her boss called her bluff and told her she could leave if she wanted to. 
3.  to challenge someone to carry out a threat or prove the truth of a statement 
John called Mary's bluff when she claimed she could prove the theorem in under an hour.
4.  accept a challenge
You will give the corner office to the first person that sells 20 of the new machines, I call your bluff.
5.  issue a challenge to
Call my bluff, the first to sell 20 new machines gets the corner office.
6.  take a dare
  I call your bluff to give one million dollars to anyone that swims the English channel.
7.  take one up on
     Q.  How did you get the car?
     A.  Mom, said that if I keep my room clean all week I can use the car Saturday, I called her bluff.
8.  I told my parents that I had gotten passing grades in all my classes, but they didn’t believe me. They called my bluff and asked to see my report card.
9.  The bank robber threatened to shoot the bank guard, but the guard called the robber’s bluff by walking up to him and taking away his gun.

Calling one's bluff is an action and it is not necessary to say the words when in fact calling one's bluff.

10. Your friend knows how to call one's bluff if she insists you speak in Arabic, a language in which you pretend to be fluent.
11. If your brother threatens to throw your laptop out the window after finding it on his desk yet again, you can call his bluff by saying, "Go ahead, do it!" You're calling his bluff when you challenge his claim that he'll really do it 

This idiom is based on the literal meaning of this phrase as used in card games such as poker. A player who is bluffing may pretend to have a winning hand when in fact he or she does not. To call one’s bluff in poker is to challenge one to show his or her cards.

A coupon for a FREE One Hour Lesson with MJ for the first student that messages me saying "I am the winner." Offer expires 2/26/2018 @ 10:00 am +8 GMT Time.

Idiom: a group of words that means something different than the individual words it contains.
"Americans use about four idioms in every minute of conversation. If you don't see the light of American English Idiom, you're in the dark understanding American English!"  Mentor Josephan P. Sterling 
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