# Question about the phrase "among my strongholds".Is this standard phrasing in the context of one's skill set? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 21, 2022, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-phrase-among-my-strongholds-is-this-standard-phrasing-in-the-context-of-ones-skill-set/973616 "2022-10-21T23:38:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Octagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/2acd7d/32.png) [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-phrase-among-my-strongholds-is-this-standard-phrasing-in-the-context-of-ones-skill-set/973616/1 "2022-10-21T23:38:22Z")
I came across the use of "“among my strongholds” when discussing one’s skils. Is this standard English phrasing in the context of one’s skill set? It sounds weird. I am only familiar with the phrase “strong suit”. I hope someone can enlighten me on the matter. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-phrase-among-my-strongholds-is-this-standard-phrasing-in-the-context-of-ones-skill-set/973616/2 "2022-10-21T23:44:57Z")
The phrase gets five results on Google, three of which are from the same book. So I don’t think it’s standard English, no. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-phrase-among-my-strongholds-is-this-standard-phrasing-in-the-context-of-ones-skill-set/973616/3 "2022-10-21T23:46:03Z")
Yeah, in English a stronghold is a fort, not a personal strength. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-phrase-among-my-strongholds-is-this-standard-phrasing-in-the-context-of-ones-skill-set/973616/4 "2022-10-21T23:47:40Z")
I’m pretty sure someone just confused “stongholds” for “strong suit”. Younger generations are probably unfamiliar with the latter metaphor relating to cards and “stronghold” just makes more literal sense to them. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2022, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-phrase-among-my-strongholds-is-this-standard-phrasing-in-the-context-of-ones-skill-set/973616/5 "2022-10-22T00:10:06Z")
You think younger generations don’t understand cards? Or would substitute stronghold for strong suite as somehow making _more_ intuitive sense? ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2022, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-phrase-among-my-strongholds-is-this-standard-phrasing-in-the-context-of-ones-skill-set/973616/6 "2022-10-22T00:19:01Z")
> [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > You think younger generations don’t understand cards? Not as well as previous generations. I doubt many would know what to do with a standard deck, let alone know what the collective term is for hearts, diamonds, spades, and “that clover thingy” (yes, I’ve heard it called that). And even if they have an understanding of some games, they might not know of one that the term ‘strong suit’ applies to. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2022, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-phrase-among-my-strongholds-is-this-standard-phrasing-in-the-context-of-ones-skill-set/973616/7 "2022-10-22T01:22:19Z")
> [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > You think younger generations don’t understand cards? There sure aren’t as many bridge players among the younger generations. I believe that’s the card game where most people get to understand the term “strong suit” from. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2022, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-phrase-among-my-strongholds-is-this-standard-phrasing-in-the-context-of-ones-skill-set/973616/8 "2022-10-22T01:28:51Z")
In my fifties, I’m twenty years younger than the median age of my bridge group (16-20 players who play every week) We’ve never had anyone younger than me, except my daughter who used to join in an emergency. My daughter’s friends have never played card games since camp (age 8-12). ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2022, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-phrase-among-my-strongholds-is-this-standard-phrasing-in-the-context-of-ones-skill-set/973616/9 "2022-10-22T01:30:45Z")
I am a millennial, I grew up playing computer games, and I never ever ever played bridge. I think some of the older generations too readily make the leap from “didn’t grow up with [insert thing] so pervasive in their life as I did” to “doesn’t know what [insert thing is].” I remember up until a few years ago, there was a recurring (and incredibly stupid) “news” article along the lines of “These are the things that the latest group of adults don’t know anything about.” And it was basically a list of things that became obsolete about 20 years earlier. Not even entirely superseded. So, for instance, 18 or 20 years after the CD was invented it was “Young adults these days don’t know what a record player is!” As if none of us have parents, let alone grandparents, or have even seen a movie or TV show with a record player. Like, because the thing that would go on to replace it was invented 20 years ago, it suddenly dropped from the collective consciousness and we must all be totally ignorant of it if we were born after that date. So, no, I don’t think it’s a strong argument that (1) kids these days or whatever don’t know that cards have “suits,” (2) that one needs to know how to play bridge to grasp the term in context, or even (3) that someone who had never played bridge, never even seen a deck of guards would, as a native English speaker, think “not my stronghold” was somehow more intuitive than “not my strong suit.” ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2022, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-phrase-among-my-strongholds-is-this-standard-phrasing-in-the-context-of-ones-skill-set/973616/10 "2022-10-22T01:38:07Z")
My point was that when the once popular game from which the term ‘strong suit’ was derived lost significant popularity, the term ‘strong suit’ thus naturally became less used overall, less familiar to more people, and also more subject to random misinterpretations. This has certainly been seen over the centuries with other terms. That’s why reading Shakespeare’s works is tough without a key explaining what a lot of the idioms of the day meant. And it would not surprise me at all to learn than a half dozen or more people around the world managed to conflate “strong suit” with “stronghold”. Hardly a generational trend, though. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2022, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-phrase-among-my-strongholds-is-this-standard-phrasing-in-the-context-of-ones-skill-set/973616/11 "2022-10-22T01:45:12Z")
> [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > that someone who had never played bridge, never even seen a deck of guards would, as a native English speaker, think “not my stronghold” was somehow more intuitive than “not my strong suit.” Are you suggesting that a person who uses stronghold instead of strong suit is still likely aware of the latter metaphor? ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2022, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-phrase-among-my-strongholds-is-this-standard-phrasing-in-the-context-of-ones-skill-set/973616/12 "2022-10-22T01:50:27Z")
Never heard that. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2022, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-phrase-among-my-strongholds-is-this-standard-phrasing-in-the-context-of-ones-skill-set/973616/13 "2022-10-22T07:07:45Z")
In dealing with many CV’s in my time I’ve never heard that. If I saw it written I’d understand what it meant in context but would think if it as non-standard. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2022, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-phrase-among-my-strongholds-is-this-standard-phrasing-in-the-context-of-ones-skill-set/973616/14 "2022-10-22T14:54:02Z")
What kind of younger generation are you suggesting? Anyone in their 30s grew up during the [poker boom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poker_boom). ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2022, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-phrase-among-my-strongholds-is-this-standard-phrasing-in-the-context-of-ones-skill-set/973616/15 "2022-10-22T15:59:18Z")
I’m talking about someone so new to the labor market that they use a phrase like the one in the OP on their resume. Besides, is the expression “strong suit” used much in poker even if you are trying to draw a flush? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2022, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-phrase-among-my-strongholds-is-this-standard-phrasing-in-the-context-of-ones-skill-set/973616/16 "2022-10-22T18:06:32Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > is the expression “strong suit” used much in poker even if you are trying to draw a flush? Very few types of poker assign rank to one suit over another. ---
**Author:** ![Tabco](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tabco/32/7644_2.png) [@Tabco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabco)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2022, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-phrase-among-my-strongholds-is-this-standard-phrasing-in-the-context-of-ones-skill-set/973616/17 "2022-10-22T18:10:05Z")
I’m familiar with the phrase “one of my strong suits” but until this thread never once realized it had to do with playing cards. Guess I never thought very hard about what exactly the phrase could’ve meant, just understood it’s colloquial meaning. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2022, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-phrase-among-my-strongholds-is-this-standard-phrasing-in-the-context-of-ones-skill-set/973616/18 "2022-10-22T18:13:00Z")
I mean, does it have to be used in poker? I’ve used the phrase “strong suit” well before having any idea what it actually referred to. (Didn’t learn bridge until my 20s, and didn’t make the connection with “strong suit” until, well, this thread. I mean I knew it had to deal with cards, but I didn’t think of bridge in particular.) Just because the kids don’t play bridge doesn’t mean they haven’t heard the term. I mean, we still “dial” a phone even though none of us has physically dialed anything in ages. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2022, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-phrase-among-my-strongholds-is-this-standard-phrasing-in-the-context-of-ones-skill-set/973616/19 "2022-10-22T18:17:01Z")
I’m guessing a lot of people wouldn’t know how “strong suit” or “wheelhouse” originate but are at least familiar with them as “things someone is skilled/comfortable at”. “Among my strongholds” is just weird. I understand it from context but it sounds like the speaker just made it up. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2022, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-phrase-among-my-strongholds-is-this-standard-phrasing-in-the-context-of-ones-skill-set/973616/20 "2022-10-22T18:45:32Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > I understand it from context but it sounds like the speaker just made it up. And there’s nothing wrong with that. It does make sense in context, perhaps just a mistake by the speaker but something that could work it’s way into the language. To some, and sometimes me, it does sound out of tune. To others, and other times me, it just sounds fine because it conveys the intended meaning. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-phrase-among-my-strongholds-is-this-standard-phrasing-in-the-context-of-ones-skill-set/973616.md?page=2)