Run a bluff
Meaning
To deceive someone by pretending to be in a stronger position or to possess more knowledge or resources than one actually does, often to gain an advantage.
Origin
The phrase "run a bluff" emerges directly from the high-stakes, smoke-filled poker tables of 19th-century America. The term "bluff" itself is believed to come from the Dutch word "bluffen," meaning "to boast" or "to brag," which found its way into English via the card game "Poque" or "Pochspiel," an ancestor of poker. As poker spread rapidly across the American frontier, a player's ability to "bluff"—to bet aggressively on a weak hand, creating the illusion of a winning one—became central to the game's strategy and psychology. To "run a bluff" was to execute this deceptive maneuver, daring an opponent to call your hand, and the phrase quickly leaped from the card table into general usage to describe any act of pretending to have an advantage one doesn't truly possess.
Examples
- Knowing his opponent was wary, the CEO decided to run a bluff during the negotiation, hinting at a higher alternative offer that didn't actually exist.
- She had no idea how to fix the software bug, but she decided to run a bluff and confidently told her boss she'd have it resolved by morning.