meaning - What does "somebody plays things close to the vest" mean?


I heard this phrase in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" and also found it online by googling it.


What does the phrase mean?



Answer



It means that a person keeps their motivations a secret. It comes from poker: you hold your cards close to your "vest" or body so you don't "tip your hand" or accidentally allow the other players to see your cards.


This is a really nice article about the phrase, and includes some related poker phrases.


Note: The linked article is The Maven's Word of the Day from August 25, 2000. This series of articles was published by Random House between 1996 to 2001. I cannot find an online archive (other than the Wayback), although I will continue to look.


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