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Phrase(s): up the ante [and] raise the ante
1. Fig. to raise the opening stakes in a betting game. • Pete upped the ante on that the poker game to $100 per hand. • Don’t up the ante any more. You’re betting far too much money already. 2. Fig. to increase a price. (Fig. on W.) • Sensing how keen the people looking at the house were, Jerry upped the ante another $5,000. • "Don’t try to up the ante on us," said the man, "We know what the asking price is."
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs