ACE IN THE HOLE Definition & Meaning

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ace in the hole

noun

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.

ace in the hole

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.

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of ace in the hole¹

An Americanism dating back to 1920–25

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Idioms and Phrases

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.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Observers point to Larry Ellison’s prominent support of Trump as Skydance’s ace in the hole.

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With both sides of the alliance caught flat-footed by changes in where and how Americans consume information, it’s little wonder that the combined reach of Hollywood and the Democratic Party has not been an ace in the hole with voters.

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But Toranaga has an ace in the hole.

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Trump's favorite campaign strategy is immigrant bashing and they hoped it would be their ace in the hole.

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“We also looked at Wilder’s “Ace in the Hole” for when the carnival comes to town and “It Happened One Night” for the way it stages a motor court.…

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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