house of cards
Topples with breath
A house of cards is a structure built by balancing playing cards against each other, requiring patience and a steady hand.
The phrase almost always appears figuratively, describing something that looks impressive but is fragile and likely to collapse: Their financial empire was a house of cards.
One disturbance brings everything down.
Placing items vertically
- balancingAchieving equal distribution
- layeringForming successive strata
- tieringArranging in stacked levels
- patienceCalm during delays
precision · steady hand · concentration · floors · stories · base · foundation · apex
Dangerously insecure
- unstableProne to sudden change
- delicateEasily broken or harmed
- tenuousLacking solid foundation
- flimsyWeak and easily damaged
shaky · vulnerable · brittle · teetering · wobbly · rickety · tottering · unsteady
Disgraceful public affair
- corruptionDishonest abuse of power
- coverupDeliberate hiding of wrongdoing
- conspiracyClandestine coordinated scheming
- regimeSystem of governance
administration · campaign · coalition · power struggle · investigation · whistleblower · expose · resignation
Deceptive outward appearance
- illusionMisleading sensory impression
- pretenseDeceptive outward show
- bluffCalculated false front
- shamFraudulent imitation
charade · smoke and mirrors · false front · masquerade · fabrication · hollow · empty · superficial
Cause to fall
- crumbleFragment gradually
- tumbleUncontrolled rolling descent
- fallDescend under gravity
- crashSudden violent impact
cascade · domino effect · chain reaction · unraveling · disintegration · implosion · downfall · ruin
stacking
Placing items vertically
- balancingAchieving equal distribution
- layeringForming successive strata
- tieringArranging in stacked levels
patience · precision · steady hand · concentration · floors · stories · base · foundation · apex · peak
precarious
Dangerously insecure
flimsy · shaky · vulnerable · brittle · teetering · wobbly · rickety · tottering · unsteady · balancing
scandal
Disgraceful public affair
- corruptionDishonest abuse of power
- coverupDeliberate hiding of wrongdoing
- conspiracyClandestine coordinated scheming
regime · administration · campaign · coalition · power struggle · investigation · whistleblower · expose · resignation · impeachment
facade
Deceptive outward appearance
sham · charade · smoke and mirrors · false front · masquerade · fabrication · hollow · empty · superficial · veneer
topple
Cause to fall
crash · cascade · domino effect · chain reaction · unraveling · disintegration · implosion · downfall · ruin · catastrophe
- Building metaphorsfoundation, building blocks, cornerstone, pillar, framework
- Stacking GamesJenga, cup stacking, wooden blocks, stacking cups, pyramid building
- card houses
- card structuresA-frame
- Delicate Thingsbutterfly wing, spider web, bubble, soap bubble, eggshell
- Precariousnessprecarious, unstable, teetering, tottering, wobbly
house of cardsfortress
Heavily defended military structure
rock · bedrock · stronghold · citadel · solid foundation
house of cardssolid ground
Stable surface beneath
bedrock · sure footing · stable base · deep roots · well-grounded
house of cardsgoing concern
Profitable, continuing enterprise
sure thing · safe bet · tried and true · well-oiled machine · enduring legacy
house, card, household, housing, houses, greenhouse, housework, housekeeper, birdhouse