What does the word 'bluff' mean? - Learn English with Misterduncan in England
1,848 views ・ 2024-08-30
Please double-click on the English subtitles below to play the video.
00:02
Here is an interesting word that we often use
0
2240
2120
00:04
when we are describing the act of tricking someone
1
4360
3120
00:07
into believing that an action
or a situation is real or true.
2
7480
6480
00:13
The word is bluff’.
3
13960
3720
00:17
This word can be used as both a noun and a verb.
4
17680
4080
00:21
The basic meaning of bluff is a trick or pretence,
5
21760
4320
00:26
carried out so as to make others
believe that something is real or true.
6
26080
5720
00:31
The noun form of ‘bluff’
refers to the state or action
7
31800
4800
00:36
of pretending or misleading someone.
8
36600
4480
00:41
The bluff is the misleading thing.
9
41080
4400
00:45
As a verb it is the act of tricking someone
into believing something.
10
45480
6600
00:52
You bluff someone.
11
52080
2720
00:54
You mislead or trick them
into believing something.
12
54800
3960
00:58
During a game of poker,
13
58760
1880
01:00
a person might bluff the other
people taking part in the game.
14
60640
5760
01:06
One player will pretend that
they have a good hand of cards.
15
66400
6840
01:13
Maybe they do.
16
73240
1760
01:15
Maybe they don't.
17
75000
1520
01:16
However, if they don't have a good hand of cards,
we can say that they are bluffing.
18
76520
6520
01:23
That person is misleading the others.
19
83040
3800
01:26
We can describe a person
who is very good at hiding
20
86840
3120
01:29
the fact they are lying as having a ‘poker face’.
21
89960
6640
01:36
They are good at concealing their lies.
22
96600
4080
01:40
A person might bluff their way into a job,
or into a place where they are not supposed to be.
23
100680
8440
01:49
They lie or mislead others to get what they want.
24
109120
6080
01:55
They have bluffed their way in.
25
115200
4640
02:00
Of course, it is possible to call someone's bluff.
26
120560
3680
02:04
This means that the person
who is holding the cards
27
124240
2960
02:07
or lying must prove that they are
not cheating or being dishonest.
28
127200
5600
02:12
In everyday life, we can call someone's bluff,
29
132800
3080
02:15
if we believe they are lying
or trying to hide something.
30
135880
5640
02:21
General synonyms of ‘bluff’ include...
conceal, trick, lie, mislead, hoodwink.
31
141520
9720
02:31
If one person tries to conceal
something from another person,
32
151240
4200
02:35
we can say that action is a 'bluff',
33
155440
4360
02:39
especially if it is done in the form of a lie.
34
159800
3760
02:43
So the next time someone tells you something
that they are desperate for you to believe,
35
163560
5520
02:49
remember they might be misleading you.
36
169080
4560
02:53
They could be lying.
37
173640
2920
02:56
What they are saying could be a bluff.
38
176560
21680
New videos
Original video on YouTube.com
About this website
This site will introduce you to YouTube videos that are useful for learning English. You will see English lessons taught by top-notch teachers from around the world. Double-click on the English subtitles displayed on each video page to play the video from there. The subtitles scroll in sync with the video playback. If you have any comments or requests, please contact us using this contact form.