when the chips are down
English
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when the chips are down
Where it comes from
From the game of poker, in which chips laid down on the table are staked.
phrase
- When the pressure is on; when the situation is urgent or critical. He wasn't a very talented musician but, when the chips were down, he played well.
Talk about this word "when the chips are down." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/when%20the%20chips%20are%20down. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. when the chips are down. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/when%20the%20chips%20are%20down "when the chips are down." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/when%20the%20chips%20are%20down.Cite this
@misc{when_the_chips_are_down_2026,
title = {when the chips are down},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/when%20the%20chips%20are%20down},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
