This meaning grew out of cards, not out of a tidy school verb. In poker, an ante is a small stake every player must put in the pot before the cards come out — you pay before you even know if your hand is any good. That ‘before’ is the old Latin word still sitting in English.

This meaning grew out of cards這個意思是從紙牌遊戲長出來的， not out of a tidy school verb不是從什麼工整的課本動詞來的。 In poker在撲克牌裡， an ante is a small stake every player must put in the potante是每個玩家在發牌前都要先放進賭池裡的一小筆錢—— before the cards come out也就是在發牌前就要付， you pay before you even know if your hand is any good也就是說你在還不知道自己牌好不好之前就得先付錢。 That ‘before’ is the old Latin word still sitting in English那個「before（之前）」的意思，就是還留在英文裡的古拉丁字。

People then say up the ante when someone raises that amount, and the phrase walked out of the card room into ordinary life.

People then say up the ante後來大家就說up the ante when someone raises that amount，指有人把那筆金額提高， and the phrase walked out of the card room into ordinary life這個說法後來就從牌桌走進了日常生活。

When you up the ante, you are not only asking for more; you are making the whole situation more expensive or more dangerous for everyone, including yourself. A company ups the ante in a fight for customers; a union ups the ante in talks; a friend ups the ante in an argument by bringing in something sharper.

When you up the ante當你up the ante（加碼）的時候， you are not only asking for more你不只是要求更多； you are making the whole situation more expensive or more dangerous for everyone, including yourself你是在讓整個局面對大家都變得更花錢或更危險，包括你自己在內。 A company ups the ante in a fight for customers公司在搶客戶時可以up the ante； a union ups the ante in talks工會在談判時可以up the ante； a friend ups the ante in an argument by bringing in something sharper朋友在吵架時，可以丟出更尖銳的話來up the ante。

You hear it in news and business talk more than in the classroom. It feels informal-to-neutral: fine in a newspaper, a bit colourful for a very stiff report.

You hear it in news and business talk more than in the classroom你在新聞和商業談話裡聽到它，比在課堂上多得多。 It feels informal-to-neutral它給人的感覺介於口語跟中性之間： fine in a newspaper用在報紙上沒問題， a bit colourful for a very stiff report但用在很正式的報告裡就顯得有點花俏。

On its own, the verb ante (often ante up) is still the poker move: put your money in. The ‘push for more and risk more’ sense almost always needs those two extra words, up the ante.

On its own單獨用的時候， the verb ante (often ante up)動詞ante（常寫成ante up） is still the poker move還是指撲克牌裡那個動作： put your money in把你的錢放進去。 The ‘push for more and risk more’ sense「逼對方加碼、風險也一起升高」這個意思 almost always needs those two extra words幾乎都需要那兩個額外的字， up the ante也就是up the ante。

It is not anti- (‘against’), and it is not auntie.

It is not anti- (‘against’)它不是anti-（表示「反對」的那個字首）， and it is not auntie也不是auntie（阿姨）。