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AH020387 Posted 16 years ago
Vocabulary

Trumps

What does 'trumps' mean in the following sentence:

'Foreign relations trumps law in this case.'
  

Top answer

This expression comes from various card games where on card or one suit has a higher rank than other cards. Laying a "trump" card will outrank cards that are not "trump" cards. So in this case "foreign relations" have outranked, or played a stronger role in the outcome than the law.

— LouiseT

  • This expression comes from various card games where on card or one suit has a higher rank than other cards.
  • Laying a "trump" card will outrank cards that are not "trump" cards.
  • So in this case "foreign relations" have outranked, or played a stronger role in the outcome than the law.
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2 Answers
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This expression comes from various card games where on card or one suit has a higher rank than other cards. Laying a "trump" card will outrank cards that are not "trump" cards.

So in this case "foreign relations" have outranked, or played a stronger role in the outcome than the law.
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