make a hash of, blackjack, double down, go down the pan

"Here comes Amanda Spielman, Ofsted's new chief inspector. Has she ever taught? No. Has she had day-to-day experience of running schools? No. Has she been educated at a private boarding school with only 12 pupils in her year? Yes. Does she know all about merchant banking, mergers and acquisitions? Yes. And did she help to set up the Ark “top academy chain”? Yes."

Our education system is going down the pan – rage is my default setting

Governments have been making a hash of it for decades. And with the appointment of Ofsted’s new chief inspector, we can expect more of the same

THEGUARDIAN.COM|由 MICHELE HANSON 上傳

"You had, in Donald Trump, the bold, the brash, the controversial. He doubled down on the Muslim ban. Talked about sort of an us vs. them look at the world. Hillary Clinton, much more measured, much more traditional, political and she talked about a we vs. me mentality." -- Amy Walter


The company has drawn criticism for relying to much on a business approach to philanthropy and on a belief that engineering could be applied to solve the world’s problems.
“They are doubling down on the technocratic approach,” said Siva Vaidhyanathan, a professor of media studies and law at the University of Virginia, who is writing a book about Google. “The habits and ideology of the company will lead the philanthropy rather than the needs of the communities or the planet.”

go down the pan

British informal Fail utterly:the company went down the pan last year

make a hash of

informal Make a mess of; bungle:he made a right hash of tearing open the envelope

blackjack
21點撲克
After receiving his initial two cards, the player has four standard options: he can "Hit," "Stand," "Double Down," or "Split a pair." Each option requires the use of a hand signal. At some casinos or tables, the player may have a fifth option called "Surrender."

• Hit: Take another card.

signal: (handheld) scrape cards against table; (face up) touch finger to table

• Stand: Take no more cards, also "stick" or "stay".

signal: (handheld) slide cards under bet; (face up) move hand horizontally

• Double down: On his first two cards, the player may "double down," i.e., "double" his bet and receive only one card face "down." To do this he moves a second bet equal to the first into the betting box next to his original bet. (If desired, the player is usually allowed to "double down for less," although this is not a good idea.)

double down

1chiefly US (In blackjack) double a bet after seeing one’s initial cards, with the requirementthat one additional card be drawn:the amount only increases when you choose to split or double downhe doubled down on a pair and lost

More example sentences

1.1Strengthen one’s commitment to a particular strategy or course of action, typically one that is potentially risky:he decided to double down and escalate the warthe third quarter of the year saw central banks doubling down on the quantitative easing approach

signal: place additional chips next to (not on top of) original bet, make "one finger" sign

• Split a pair: If his first two cards are a "pair," meaning two cards of the same value such as two 7's or two ten-value cards, the player can "split the pair." To do this, he moves a second bet equal to the first into the betting box next to his original bet. The dealer splits the cards to create two hands, placing one bet with each hand. The player then plays two separate hands.

signal: place additional chips next to (not on top of) original bet, make "two fingers" sign

• Surrender: Some casinos offer a fifth option called "Surrender." After the dealer has checked for blackjack, the player may "surrender" by giving up half his bet and not playing out the hand.

signal: There is no commonly-accepted hand signal, it is just done verbally.