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# one card short of a full deck

idiom (adjective phrase used after «be»: one card short of a full deck)

«one card short of 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) a bit stupid or a bit mad.

### In the lessons

Used jokingly to say someone is not fully sane or not clever, as if a pack of cards were missing one. Humorous register, all English-speaking countries.

### Examples

- He's one card short of a full deck.
- You'd have to be one card short of a full deck to jump off that roof.
- The old caretaker seems one card short of a full deck.
- Our dog chases his own shadow — one card short of a full deck.
- I felt one card short of a full deck after the night shift.
- People thought the inventor was one card short of a full deck, but he was a genius.

### Note

A full deck has 52 cards; one short = 51. Similar: «not playing with a full deck», «a sandwich short of a picnic». Can be unkind. Plain words: mad, stupid.