when the chips are down

Idioms  

1. When a situation is urgent or desperate, as in When the chips were down, all the children came home to help their mother. This expression comes from poker, where chips represent money being bet. When all the bets have been made, and the chips put down, the hand is over and the players turn up their cards to see who has won. [Late 1800s]

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Example Sentences

“What we’re learning is that, when the chips are down in some of the most dire scenarios, the people and systems responsible for public warnings don’t appear to be up to the task,” said Thomas Cova, a geography professor at the University of Utah who specializes in emergency management.

From Los Angeles Times

“We’ve seen that here. ... It’s just very hopeful that when the chips are down, people do step up.”

From Los Angeles Times

When the chips are down and they need a big performance, this frail mentality shows itself again.

From BBC

They may lie all the time, but when the chips are down, they gaslight.

From Salon

When the chips are down — when he can’t get a solo career off the ground or a regular gig — Slick checks his ego and sells timeshares to make ends meet.

From Salon