ENGLISH
REFERENCE

bag of tricks

idiom
Meaning

A set of skills, techniques, items of information, or other resources used to help achieve professional or personal goals.


Origin

disputed origin

An allusion to the collection of props and devices used by a magician.

Examples
SIMPLE

The magician showed us his entire bag of tricks.

CONTEXTUAL

The experienced teacher has a deep bag of tricks to keep her students focused during long lessons.

COMPLEX

Facing a complex legal challenge, the seasoned attorney relied on her vast bag of tricks to secure a favorable outcome for her client.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    bag of bones

    A skinny, malnourished person or animal.

  2. 02

    brown bag

    A short presentation or seminar on a given subject, especially one given at lunchtime.

  3. 03

    give someone the bag

    To disappoint (someone).

  4. 04

    how's tricks

    Informal greeting roughly equivalent to How are you? or How's it going?

  5. 05

    let the cat out of the bag

    To disclose a secret; to let a secret be known, often inadvertently.

  6. 06

    mixed bag

    Something tending to have both good and bad results or characteristics; something having a mixture of advantages and disadvantages.

  7. 07

    squint like a bag of nails

    To squint very much, as though one's eyes were directed as many ways as the points of a bag of nails.

  8. 08

    the cat's out of the bag

    It is too late. Particularly used of secrets that have been exposed.

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