stack the deck
English
Pronunciation
Audio (Mid-Atlantic US): (file)
Verb
stack the deck (third-person singular simple present stacks the deck, present participle stacking the deck, simple past and past participle stacked the deck)
- (figurative, intransitive) To give an unfair advantage to somebody.
- Synonym: cheat
- 2018 June 13, Bryce Covert, “The Demise of Toys 'R' Us Is a Warning”, in Jeffrey Goldberg, editor, The Atlantic[1], Washington, D.C.: The Atlantic Monthly Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 5 September 2026:
- Private equity can stack the deck in other ways, too. Firms can direct businesses they own to buy other companies and then act as broker on the deals, reaping transaction fees.
Translations
to give an unfair advantage to somebody — see rig