house of cards | Idiomator

Meaning: A structure made by stackingplaying cardsin a pyramidal fashion.; (by extension,oftenattributive)Any structure with alternating vertical and horizontal layers.1958, Glyn Edmund Daniel,The Megalith Builders of Western Europe, page18:The essentials of megalithic construction are either the single large slab or the large slab as walling stone with another large slab resting on two or more large walling stones as a capstone—a sort ofhouse of cardsarchitecture.1977, Lionel Casson, Joseph Jacobs Thorndike,Mysteries of the past, page49:Dolmens impress only by their massiveness: theirhouse-of-cardsconstruction is the simplest possible[…]2017, Markus Antonietti, Klaus Müllen,Chemical Synthesis and Applications of Graphene and Carbon Materials:Also, it has been proposed that lithium ions can be adsorbed on both sides of the graphene sheets that are aggregated disorderly into a “house of cards” architecture, leading to two layers of lithium for each graphene sheet[…]; (figurative,idiomatic)Astructureorargumentbuilt on ashakyfoundation.

Examples:

EN: The house of cards was not built by Pardee. But by the murderer. After Pardee was killed.
ES: El castillo de naipes no fue construido por Pardee, sino por el asesino, después de matar a Pardee.
EN: Beneath the tread of a thousand tanks, the mighty maginot line of france fell like a house of cards, and hitler fulfilled his promise of parading into paris.
ES: Atacada por 1.000 tanques, la defensa francesa se desplomó. Y Hitler cumplió su promesa de desfilar en París.
EN: At least, I have a house of cards.
ES: Bueno, al menos tengo una casa de naipes.
EN: For I'll tear down this royal house of cards, the Queen and all the others.
ES: Fracasarán en todo.
EN: It was just a house of cards.
ES: Era solo un castillo de naipes.
EN: Our entire civilization collapsing about our heads like a house of cards. And, the whole Western world going down with it.
ES: Nuestra civilización se derrumba como un castillo de naipes, y todo Occidente cae con nosotros.
EN: Without her, it would collapse like a house of cards... overrun by Indians, wasted by starvation.
ES: Sin ella, nos derrumbamos como un castillo de naipes, No.
EN: That setup at the Bijou is like a house of cards. If we huff and we blow...
ES: El Bijou es un castillo de naipes. ¡Con solo soplar...!
EN: Life's like a house of cards.
ES: La vida se parece a un castillo de naipes.
EN: Japan is a house of cards.
ES: Japón es un castillo de naipes.
EN: But if we allow this, the ban would crumble like a house of cards.
ES: Pero, si eso lo permitimos, la prohibición se derrumbaría como un castillo de naipes.
EN: Castles of clouds and gallant duels A house of cards and false jewels
ES: Castillos de nubes con puentes fantasmas... castillos de naipes... y joyas falsas.
EN: I preferred to collaborate with Scotland Yard. In a profession like ours holidays are like a house of cards.
ES: En una profesión como la nuestra, las vacaciones son como un castillo de naipes.
EN: With such evidence, scientific and indisputable, all arguments of the defendant collapse like a house of cards.
ES: Ante semejante evidencia... científica e irrefutable... todos los argumentos de los procesados se derrumban como... un castillo de naipes
EN: Just like a house of cards.
ES: Como un castillo de naipes.

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