🗓️ Idiom: High-Stakes Game (n)
💬 Meaning
- A situation where a lot can be gained or lost.
- A risky situation with serious rewards or consequences.
🧠 Example Sentences
- Expanding into a new market is a high-stakes game, but it could bring huge profits.
- The negotiations were a high-stakes game that could affect the company’s future.
- In the world of tech startups, every decision can feel like a high-stakes game.
🏛️ Origin
This idiom comes from gambling. “Stakes” are the amount of money risked in a game. A “high-stakes game” means playing for a large amount of money, so the risk and reward are both big. The phrase is now used in business and politics for any risky situation with big results.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
Taking on a global project is a __________ with a lot of risk and reward.
Answer
high-stakes game
2. Choose the correct meaning of “high-stakes game”:
A) A situation with no risks
B) A situation with big risks and possible big rewards
C) A small, fun project
Answer
B) A situation with big risks and possible big rewards
3. Rewrite the sentence using the idiom:
“Launching the new product was very risky but could lead to big success.” → Change the sentence using: high-stakes game
Answer
Launching the new product was a high-stakes game.