a house of cards
/ə ˌhaʊs əv ˈkɑːdz/NEUTRAL · B2
Meaning
a plan or organisation that could easily collapse
Examples
- 1Their business plan was a house of cards, built on one customer who could leave at any time.
- 2When the main sponsor pulled out, the whole festival collapsed like a house of cards.
- 3The timetable is a house of cards: if one teacher is ill, every class moves.
- 4Tom's excuses fell apart like a house of cards once his sister told the truth.
- 5Is the new budget solid, or is it a house of cards that one bad month could ruin?
Grammar
Countable. It often follows be or like; verbs such as collapse or fall describe its end.
More idioms about home
All 20 idioms and the topic quiz →paper over the cracksto hide problems instead of solving thema glass ceilingan unofficial barrier that stops people reaching top jobsmake yourself at hometo relax and feel comfortable in someone else's houseon the housegiven free by a café, bar or restaurantput down rootsto settle in a new place and feel you belong therefly the nestto leave your parents' house and live on your own
English Idioms400 idioms in 20 topics — with reviews that keep them from fading
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