Literal translation
he made the cards burst
Meaning
he blew it, broke the deal
Explanation
This expression describes a clean, deliberately provoked break that abruptly puts an end to an arrangement, an understanding, or a game in progress. The literal image comes from card-playing: peta, to burst, to pop, to break, applied to cards, evokes the gesture of someone violently throwing down their hand on the table, overturning in one motion the tacit conventions of the game, whether to bring it to a brutal halt or to force an unexpected turn. The figurative use mainly retains the idea of a deliberate and spectacular rupture of an established agreement: it describes someone who, through a decision or a word, breaks clean what had been agreed, without trying to soften the transition. The register is familiar, carrying a certain vehemence, used to describe a dramatic move, often perceived as abrupt or ill-timed by those on the receiving end of the break. The expression belongs to card-game vocabulary, very common in Provençal comparisons, where the gaming table provides a symbolic stage for the conflicts and ruptures of everyday life.