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ace up one's sleeve

ace
A a

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [eys]
    • /eɪs ʌp wʌnz sliv/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [eys]
    • /eɪs ʌp wʌnz sliv/

Definitions of ace up one's sleeve words

  • noun ace up one's sleeve 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. 1
  • noun ace up one's sleeve a single spot or mark on a playing card or die. 1
  • noun ace up one's sleeve Also called service ace. a placement made on a service. any placement. a serve that the opponent fails to touch. the point thus scored. 1
  • noun ace up one's sleeve a fighter pilot credited with destroying a prescribed number or more of enemy aircraft, usually five, in combat. 1
  • noun ace up one's sleeve a very skilled person; expert; adept: an ace at tap dancing. 1
  • noun ace up one's sleeve Slang. a one-dollar bill. 1
See all 21 definitions of ace up one's sleeve

Information block about the term

Origin of ace up one's sleeve

First appearance:

before 1250
One of the 11% oldest English words
1250-1300; 1915 for def 4; Middle English as, aas < Old French as < Latin: a unit; cf. as2; sense 4 after French as in World War I; sense 5 < 4

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Ace up one's sleeve

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of Ace up one's sleeve

ace up one's sleeve popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 91% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

Synonyms for ace up one's sleeve

noun ace up one's sleeve

  • reserve — to keep back or save for future use, disposal, treatment, etc.
  • trump card — Cards. trump1 (def 1a).
  • card up one's sleeve — a plan or resource kept secret or held in reserve
  • ace in the hole — Something that is an ace in the hole is an advantage which you have over an opponent or rival, and which you can use if necessary.
  • trump — a trumpet.
All 8 Synonyms of ace up one's sleeve

See also

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