Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

close to the vest

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.72 in modern English

Syllables
close -to the vest
IPA
22
Scrabble Score
14
Letters
2
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

adv

In a reserved or secretive manner.

Etymology

It refers to the practice of holding one's playing cards close to one's chest so that the other players cannot see one's hand.

Inflected Forms

closer to the vest (comparative) closest to the vest (superlative) close to one's vest (alternative)

Phrases

closely held

Frequently Paired Words

closely held

Questions

What does close to the vest mean?
In a reserved or secretive manner.
Where does close to the vest come from?
It refers to the practice of holding one's playing cards close to one's chest so that the other players cannot see one's hand.

How to pronounce close to the vest

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “close to the vest”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “close to the vest”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “close to the vest” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.