to keep one's plans or ideas secret
seine Pläne oder Ideen geheim halten (seine Pläne oder Ideen geheim halten)
"He always plays his cards close to his chest in business."
"er spielt immer seine Karten nahe an seiner Brust im Geschäft" (er spielt immer **seine Karten nahe an seiner Brust** im Geschäft)
later than planned or expected
A period of great prosperity followed by a sharp decline.
to fail completely or embarrass oneself
to disrupt or complicate something
every difficult situation has a hopeful aspect
to pass a difficult stage and begin to improve