Common Phrases

At the Academy, people from many countries gather, but some phrases are well-known to all. As one can expect, many are related to cards or to various parts of the continental symbolry. For those gossiping about others, or openly attacking others, these phrases are a welcome way of expressing their opinions.
Phrase: Being a few cards short of a full deck.
Meaning: Not being very smart, not being all there.
Origin: A deck with missing cards isn't useful.
Phrase: A Jack can never become a Knight.
Meaning: One should know their place.
Origin: A Jack stands below a Knight in card value, and will never become worth more.
Phrase: Only ever following suit.
Meaning: Not forming one's own opinion, only following others' lead.
Origin: Following a partner's suit in a game of cards, rather than thinking for oneself.
Phrase: Talking big but fearing roses.
Short version: Fearing roses.
Meaning: Not daring to act tough against people that stand up for themselves.
Origin: The Roses suit is associated with passionately standing up for oneself, which bullies fear.
Phrase: Being blackhearted.
Meaning: Being brave and willing to fight for others.
Origin: Black is symbolic for willing to protect villages by resisting unknown dangers.
Phrase: A good person need not fear the quill.
Short version: Not fearing the quill.
Meaning: Good people don't need to fear the state, nor idle gossip.
Origin: Quills are the weapons of Royal Accountants and the free press.
Phrase: Being nothing more than a white arrow.
Short version: Being a white arrow.
Meaning: So obsessed with worshipping an ideal, that one is out of touch with reality.
Origin: White can stand for unrealistic ideals, and arrows are meant to stand for those willing to protect others. The combination is about defending an unrealistic ideal instead.
Phrase: A gray mind wanders.
Meaning: A person that stands back and observes, cannot be trusted to always have one's back.
Origin: Gray is linked to both detachment and transitioning, so a detached person cannot be trusted to stand by others, rather than move on when least expected.