Deal someone out
Meaning
To exclude someone from participation in a game, activity, or group.
Origin
The phrase 'deal someone out' draws its vivid imagery from the competitive world of card games. Imagine a tense poker table where a new round is about to begin. The dealer meticulously shuffles the deck, then begins to distribute cards, one by one, around the table. To 'deal someone out' meant deliberately skipping a player, leaving their hand empty and their seat effectively irrelevant for that round. This very literal act of exclusion from the game's core activity quickly transcended the card table, becoming a potent metaphor for being shut out from any group, activity, or decision, leaving one without a 'hand' to play.
Examples
- They decided to deal John out of the poker game because he kept cheating.
- After her controversial remarks, the committee voted to deal her out of future discussions.