Meaning
to give up or admit defeat
Cultural Background
In Norwegian business culture, 'å kaste kortene' is seen as a sign of 'edruelighet' (sobriety/realism). It is better to admit defeat than to be delusional. Card games like 'Vri-åtter' and 'Bridge' are very popular in mountain cabins (hyttekultur), which keeps card-based idioms alive. In the context of the 'Tour de Ski', Norwegian commentators often use this when a favorite athlete falls too far behind. Norwegian coalition governments often use this idiom during 'budsjettkonferanser' (budget conferences) at Hurdalsjøen.
Use it in Business
This is a very safe idiom to use in professional Norwegian settings to sound more natural.
Definite Form
Never say 'kaste kort'. It must be 'kortene'.
Meaning
to give up or admit defeat
Use it in Business
This is a very safe idiom to use in professional Norwegian settings to sound more natural.
Definite Form
Never say 'kaste kort'. It must be 'kortene'.
Combine with 'innse'
It sounds very native to say 'Jeg måtte bare innse at det var på tide å kaste kortene'.
Test Yourself
Fyll inn det manglende ordet i idiomet.
Etter tre timer med krangling valgte han endelig å kaste _______.
Idiomet krever bestemt form flertall: 'kortene'.
Hvilken setning bruker idiomet riktig?
Velg riktig alternativ:
Dette er den riktige figurative bruken om å gi opp en bedrift.
Fullfør dialogen med riktig form av idiomet.
A: Skal vi fortsette å lete etter nøklene? B: Nei, nå har vi lett i fire timer. Jeg _______.
Presens (nåtid) er mest naturlig her siden handlingen skjer nå.
🎉 Score: /3
Visual Learning Aids
Practice Bank
3 exercisesEtter tre timer med krangling valgte han endelig å kaste _______.
Idiomet krever bestemt form flertall: 'kortene'.
Velg riktig alternativ:
Dette er den riktige figurative bruken om å gi opp en bedrift.
A: Skal vi fortsette å lete etter nøklene? B: Nei, nå har vi lett i fire timer. Jeg _______.
Presens (nåtid) er mest naturlig her siden handlingen skjer nå.
🎉 Score: /3
Frequently Asked Questions
4 questionsYes, it is very common when a team has no chance of winning the league or a match.
No, it is a neutral observation of reality.
'Å gi opp' is general. 'Å kaste kortene' implies you had a strategy or a 'hand' that didn't work out.
Yes, 'korta' is the feminine/dialectal definite plural and is very common in informal speech.
Related Phrases
å kaste inn håndkleet
synonymto throw in the towel
å gi opp
synonymto give up
å legge inn årene
similarto pull in the oars
å kaste ball
contrastto bounce ideas around
å bite i det sure eplet
builds onto bite the sour apple
