SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

house of cards

Definition of house of cards

: a structure, situation, or institution that is insubstantial, shaky, or in constant danger of collapse

First Known Use of house of cards

1645

Seen and Heard

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WORD OF THE DAY

advise

play

to counsel, recommend, or inform

Words at Play

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The 'Best' Way to Sign Off On An E-mail

Give them your best

Words and Phrases That Come from the Dinner Table

Fill your plate with these surprising food words

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'Disinvite' or 'Uninvite'?

A disinvited guest is an uninvited problem

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Words We're Watching: 'Scoby'

Kombucha lovers unite.

Ask the Editors

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Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

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Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

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Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

The Emoji Quiz

Think you’re an emoji 👓 expert? Let’s see 🤔

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A Game of Thrones Word Quiz

In the Game of Thrones quiz, you learn some new vocabulary. (It’s quite safe, really. You will not die.)

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Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

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Bee Cubed

Listen to the words and spell through all three levels.

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