What does the word 'bluff' mean? - Learn English with Misterduncan in England
1,518 views ・ 2024-08-30
Please double-click on the English subtitles below to play the video.
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Here is an interesting word that we often use
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when we are describing the act of tricking someone
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into believing that an action
or a situation is real or true.
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The word is bluff’.
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This word can be used as both a noun and a verb.
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The basic meaning of bluff is a trick or pretence,
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carried out so as to make others
believe that something is real or true.
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The noun form of ‘bluff’
refers to the state or action
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of pretending or misleading someone.
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The bluff is the misleading thing.
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As a verb it is the act of tricking someone
into believing something.
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You bluff someone.
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You mislead or trick them
into believing something.
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During a game of poker,
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a person might bluff the other
people taking part in the game.
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One player will pretend that
they have a good hand of cards.
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Maybe they do.
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Maybe they don't.
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However, if they don't have a good hand of cards,
we can say that they are bluffing.
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That person is misleading the others.
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We can describe a person
who is very good at hiding
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the fact they are lying as having a ‘poker face’.
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They are good at concealing their lies.
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A person might bluff their way into a job,
or into a place where they are not supposed to be.
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They lie or mislead others to get what they want.
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They have bluffed their way in.
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Of course, it is possible to call someone's bluff.
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This means that the person
who is holding the cards
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or lying must prove that they are
not cheating or being dishonest.
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In everyday life, we can call someone's bluff,
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if we believe they are lying
or trying to hide something.
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General synonyms of ‘bluff’ include...
conceal, trick, lie, mislead, hoodwink.
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If one person tries to conceal
something from another person,
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we can say that action is a 'bluff',
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especially if it is done in the form of a lie.
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So the next time someone tells you something
that they are desperate for you to believe,
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remember they might be misleading you.
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They could be lying.
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What they are saying could be a bluff.
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