house of cards

American  

noun

1. a structure or plan that is insubstantial and subject to imminent collapse, as a structure made by balancing playing cards against each other.

   The scheme is so overly complicated that it's likely to prove to be just another house of cards.

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house of cards British  

noun

1. a tiered structure created by balancing playing cards on their edges

2. an unstable situation, plan, etc

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house of cards Idioms  

1. A weak and fragile structure, plan, or organization, as in Her scheme to reorganize the school sounds like another house of cards, or Jerry built his entire business on what turned out to be a house of cards. This metaphoric expression alludes to the structure made by balancing playing cards against one another. [First half of 1600s]

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Etymology

Origin of house of cards

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

“Smoke and mirrors, house of cards, silly investors—what do you want me to tell you?” asks Ishbia.

From Barron's

“Smoke and mirrors, house of cards, silly investors—what do you want me to tell you?” asks Ishbia.

From Barron's

“When you combine this loss of brand love with an aggressive, debt-fueled expansion, you create a fragile house of cards.”

From MarketWatch

“When you combine this loss of brand love with an aggressive, debt-fueled expansion, you create a fragile house of cards.”

From MarketWatch

The New Brunswick cluster was, one of the paper's authors told the BBC, a "house of cards".

From BBC

Related Words

• chiffon
• decrepit
• feeble
• insubstantial
• rickety
• shaky
• tacky