Idiom
ace in the hole
Meaning
Synonym of ace up one's sleeve.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“He kept his ace in the hole until the final round.”
“My secret recipe is my ace in the hole for the cooking contest.”
“She saved her best argument as an ace in the hole for the negotiation.”
“The lawyer knew the video footage was his ace in the hole if the witness lied during the trial.”
“The company has a massive cash reserve that serves as an ace in the hole during a bad economy.”
“The coach had an ace in the hole — a rookie pitcher no scout had seen — and unleashed him in the ninth inning to silence the stunned crowd.”
Examples
simple
“He kept his ace in the hole until the final round.”
“My secret recipe is my ace in the hole for the cooking contest.”
contextual
“She saved her best argument as an ace in the hole for the negotiation.”
“The lawyer knew the video footage was his ace in the hole if the witness lied during the trial.”
“The company has a massive cash reserve that serves as an ace in the hole during a bad economy.”
complex
“The coach had an ace in the hole — a rookie pitcher no scout had seen — and unleashed him in the ninth inning to silence the stunned crowd.”
Origin
"Ace in the hole" originates from 19th-century American stud poker. It refers to the hole card — the first card dealt face-down and kept hidden from opponents. Because the ace is the highest-value card, having an ace face-down gives a player a secret, powerful advantage.
By the 1920s, the term had expanded from the casino to become a common idiom for any hidden advantage, resource, or surprise strategy kept in reserve and used to gain the upper hand when needed.
Key words
Related idioms
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated