Catch Word #273 – Mastering the expressions “To cave” and “To fold”
Episode description
In this episode of Catch Word, hosts Andrew and Kassy explore the idioms “to cave” and “to fold.” In short, “to cave” means to give in to pressure and “to fold” means to give up when you feel defeated. They sound pretty alike, right? Using several example scenarios and dialogues, Andrew and Kassy explain the differences between these two similar verbs, so you don’t mix them up!
Fun fact
The verb “to fold” originates from the popular card game poker. There are actually a lot of other expressions that originate in this classic game!
For instance, “poker face” – this refers to a facial expression that doesn’t reveal any emotion or reaction. Similarly, “calling one’s bluff” means deciding that the cards someone has aren’t as good as they’re pretending. In everyday use, when you “call someone’s bluff,” it means you suspect they are not being honest or exaggerating something, and you confront them to prove if what they’re saying is true or not. Essentially, it’s like saying, “I don’t believe you. Prove it!”
Expressions included in the study guide
- To cave
- To fold
- To guilt trip [someone]
- To call [someone] out
- To cut one’s losses
- To throw in the towel
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Catch Word #273 – Mastering the expressions “To cave” and “To fold”
Episode description
In this episode of Catch Word, hosts Andrew and Kassy explore the idioms "to cave" and "to fold." In short, “to cave” means to give in to pressure and “to fold” means to give up when you feel defeated. They sound pretty alike, right? Using several example scenarios and dialogues, Andrew and Kassy explain the differences between these two similar verbs, so you don’t mix them up!Fun fact
The verb “to fold” originates from the popular card game poker. There are actually a lot of other expressions that originate in this classic game! For instance, “poker face” – this refers to a facial expression that doesn’t reveal any emotion or reaction. Similarly, “calling one’s bluff” means deciding that the cards someone has aren’t as good as they’re pretending. In everyday use, when you "call someone's bluff," it means you suspect they are not being honest or exaggerating something, and you confront them to prove if what they're saying is true or not. Essentially, it's like saying, "I don't believe you. Prove it!"Expressions included in the study guide
- To cave
- To fold
- To guilt trip [someone]
- To call [someone] out
- To cut one’s losses
- To throw in the towel
Sign in to access Glossary
Sign inSign in to access Quiz
Sign inHosts: Andrew Bates and Kassy White
Music: Something Elated by Broke for Free
Episode preparation/research: Andrew Bates
Audio editor: Marshall Vaillancourt
Transcriptionist: Heather Bates
Study guide writer: Indiana Brown
English editor: Andrew Bates
Operations: Tsuyoshi Kaneshima
Popular Podcasts
Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to common questions about our English learning platform.
- They are Canadian and American
- Have master’s degrees and work in professions related to English education (Andrew is a university English professor, Suzanne is a pronunciation coach and voice actor, and Morag is a writer).
- Actively study second languages as adults. Our team understands the ups and downs of studying foreign languages as adults who live busy lives.