joker
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a joker in the deck
Someone or something that is unpredictable; a wild card. There are a few unpredictable elements here, but the weather will be a real joker in the deck. The new quarterback has proven to be a joker in the deck for this team. They're looking for a steady, reliable candidate for the position, not a joker in the deck.
a joker in the pack
Someone or something that is unpredictable; a wild card. There are a few unpredictable elements here, but the weather will be a real joker in the pack. The new quarterback has proven to be a joker in the pack for this team. They're looking for a steady, reliable candidate for the position, not a joker in the pack.
the joker in the deck
Someone or something that is unpredictable; a wild card. There are a few unpredictable elements here, but the weather is the real joker in the deck. The joker in the deck in this game will be the new quarterback, who is looking to prove himself out on the field.
the joker in the pack
Someone or something that is unpredictable; a wild card. There are a few unpredictable elements here, but the weather is the real joker in the pack. The joker in the pack in this game will be the performance of the bench players.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
the joker in the pack
mainly BRITISHIf something or someone is the joker in the pack, they are different from the other things or people in a situation and no one knows how they will behave. He's seen very much as the wild boy of Italian fashion — the joker in the pack. Note: The joker in a pack of playing cards is the card which does not belong to any of the four suits.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
the joker in the pack
a person or factor likely to have an unpredictable effect on events.In a pack of playing cards, a joker is an extra card which does not belong to one of the four suits (clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades) and usually bears the figure of a jester. It is used in some card games as a trump and in poker as a wild card.
1973 George Sims Hunters Point Fred Wheeler may be the joker in the pack. He might have got Dave involved in something wild.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
the ˌjoker in the ˈpack
a person or thing who could change the way that things will happen in a way that cannot be predicted: Everyone knew each other well, except for the new guy Jason, who was the joker in the pack.The pack here is a set of playing cards. In every pack there are two extra cards, which are called jokers.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
joker
n. a man; a guy. Who was that joker I saw you with last night?
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
joker in the deck, a
Any item or device, such as a clause in a contract, that unexpectedly changes the nature of something, either for better or for worse. The noun “joker” alone has been used in this way since the mid-1800s, as in “The postal rate increase had within it a joker that would hurt nonprofit organizations.” Today the term, also put as joker in the pack, sometimes refers to a person whose behavior is unexpected on unpredictable.
See also: joker
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer