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# not playing with a full deck

idiom (verb phrase: not playing with a full deck, isn't playing with a full deck)

«not playing with a full deck» in the English dictionary: in the primary school — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## In the primary school

Source: Mova's pupils' dictionary. Licence: [Elamur Cosmic License](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/LICENSE/). Reviewed: the dictionary the pupils of Mova's primary school read; its examples quote the lessons and public-domain tales. Ships with Mova.

### Meaning

(euphemism, humorous) stupid, or a bit mad; not fully sane.

### In the lessons

Used jokingly to say someone is crazy or not clever, like a card player whose pack is missing cards. Humorous and informal register, mainly USA, also elsewhere; can be unkind.

### Examples

- That guy's not playing with a full deck.
- Anyone who swims in the lake in winter isn't playing with a full deck.
- I think our neighbour's not playing with a full deck — he talks to the bins.
- He paid 500 dollars for a sandwich? He's not playing with a full deck.
- Sometimes I wonder if the referee is playing with a full deck.
- The villain in the cartoon is clearly not playing with a full deck.

### Note

A full deck is a complete pack of 52 playing cards. Similar: «one card short of a full deck». Do not use it about people with real mental illness. Plain words: mad, crazy, stupid.