Ace in the hole
Poker. an ace dealt and held face down, especially in stud poker.
an advantage or a resource kept back until the proper opportunity presents itself:
His ace in the hole is his political influence.
A hidden advantage or resource kept in reserve until needed: “The coach was certain that his new trick play would turn out to be his ace in the hole.” This term comes from the game of stud poker, in which one or more cards are turned face down, or “in the hole,” as bets are placed. The ace is the card with the highest value.
noun phrase
Something held privately in reserve until needed, esp for a winning stroke; a hidden reserve or advantage
[fr poker term in the hole for a card dealt face down in a stud game]
A hidden advantage or resource kept in reserve until needed, as in The prosecutor had an ace in the hole: an eyewitness. The term comes from stud poker, where each player is dealt one card face down—the so-called hole card—and the rest face up. Should the hole card be an ace, the player has a hidden advantage. Hole here simply means “a hiding place.” In the 19th-century American West, the expression was used to refer to a hidden weapon, such as a gun concealed in a shoulder holster. By the 1920s it had become a metaphor for any surprise advantage or leverage.
Read Also:
- Ace in
ace in verb phrase To use strategy in getting oneself into a good or profitable position To understand; dig
- Ace inhibitor
any of a group of vasodilators used in the treatment of hypertension and heart failure. noun any one of a class of drugs, including captopril, enalapril, and ramipril, that cause the arteries to widen by preventing the synthesis of angiotensin: used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure ACE inhibitor (ās) n. Any of […]
- Ace it
a playing card or die marked with or having the value indicated by a single spot: He dealt me four aces in the first hand. a single spot or mark on a playing card or die. Also called service ace. a placement made on a service. any placement. a serve that the opponent fails to […]
- Ace of spades
ace of spades noun phrase A black person, esp a very dark one The female genitals [fr the color and shape of the playing-card symbol]
- Ace out
a playing card or die marked with or having the value indicated by a single spot: He dealt me four aces in the first hand. a single spot or mark on a playing card or die. Also called service ace. a placement made on a service. any placement. a serve that the opponent fails to […]