stand pat

Meaning

Verb

• To play one's hand without drawing any more cards.
• To stop hitting; to declare one's hand as final.
• To resist changes.

Origin

• Probably originally a poker phrase, with "pat" equaling "optimal", meaning that drawing more cards is unnecessary. Later the phrase came to be employed in other spheres. "Stand pat" was actively used in U.S. political campaigns of the 1900s, quickly gaining a sense of "being reactionary, resistant to dramatic changes in policy". Moreover, a noun "standpatter\stand-patter" was coined to denote such politicians.