bag of tricks
A set of skills, techniques, items of information, or other resources used to help achieve professional or personal goals.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“The magician showed us his entire bag of tricks.”
“The chef uses a bag of tricks to make healthy food taste delicious.”
“You need a good bag of tricks to handle difficult customers at work.”
“The experienced teacher has a deep bag of tricks to keep her students focused during long lessons.”
“When the car engine wouldn't start, the mechanic reached into his bag of tricks and tried a few unusual tools to fix the problem.”
“Our marketing manager has a whole bag of tricks to attract new customers when sales are low during the winter months.”
“After the initial plan failed, the coach pulled a new strategy from his bag of tricks to help the team win the game.”
“Facing a complex legal challenge, the seasoned attorney relied on her vast bag of tricks to secure a favorable outcome for her client.”
From the collection of props, mechanical devices, and concealed objects employed by a professional magician. The phrase draws its substance from the physical container used to store the instruments of illusion.
- 01
bag of bones
A skinny, malnourished person or animal.
- 02
brown bag
A short presentation or seminar on a given subject, especially one given at lunchtime.
- 03
do the trick
To work; to be successful; to solve a problem; to be sufficient or adequate to fulfill a purpose.
- 04
give someone the bag
To disappoint (someone).
- 05
how's tricks
Informal greeting roughly equivalent to How are you? or How's it going?
- 06
Jedi mind trick
A mental feat such as apparently inducing someone to act a certain way or reading someone's mind, achieved as if by magic or telepathy.
- 07
know every trick in the book
To know all there is to be known about a certain discipline.
- 08
let the cat out of the bag
To disclose a secret; to let a secret be known, often inadvertently.
Last updated August 10, 2026