put one's cards on the table
Disclose one's position
To put one's cards on the table is to reveal one's intentions, resources, or position openly and honestly.
The phrase comes from card games where concealing your hand is strategic—laying cards down ends the concealment.
After months of negotiation, she finally put her cards on the table and named her price.
The expression implies a shift from guarded maneuvering to frank disclosure.
- candorUnguarded truthfulness
- straight talkHonest, direct communication
- truthAccordance with reality
- come cleanAdmit the full truth
- exposureState of being unprotected
sincerity · lay bare · dialogue · clear the air · openness · honest conversation · forthrightness · heart to heart · courage · declaration · genuineness · integrity · disclosure · authenticity · open book · fragility · trustworthiness · revelation
put one's cards on the tablekeep one's cards close to one's chest
Withhold information strategically
keep mum · keep one's own counsel · hold back · keep quiet · hedge