A-team
First-string players
A-team refers to the best group available for a task—the top performers, the first choice.
Organizations field their A-team when stakes are high: They're sending the A-team to handle the merger negotiations.
The term implies a hierarchy where B-teams and C-teams exist below.
It gained cultural currency from the 1980s television series about a group of military veterans turned mercenaries.
- HannibalCarthaginian military commander
- vanEnclosed cargo vehicle
- 1980sFourth-to-last twentieth-century decade
- NBCAmerican television network
Murdock · theme song · George Peppard · cigar · gold chains · mohawk · fool · reruns
Temporary goal-oriented team
- senior staffExperienced, high-ranking employees
- core groupEssential central members
- top brassSenior leadership collectively
- handpickedPersonally selected with care
Elite unconventional warfare troops
- commandoSpecial operations soldier
- covert opsSecret military missions
- missionPurpose-driven task
- tacticalStrategically planned
squad · extraction · mercenary · Vietnam · fugitive · underground · soldier of fortune · black ops
Selected elite players
- first stringStarting squad members
- varsityPrimary school squad
- eliteSuperior select group
- cream of the cropThe very best
top tier · specialists · talent · high achievers · MVPs · front-runners · standouts · headliners
Mr. T
- HannibalCarthaginian military commander
- vanEnclosed cargo vehicle
- 1980sFourth-to-last twentieth-century decade
Murdock · NBC · theme song · George Peppard · cigar · gold chains · mohawk · fool · reruns · cult classic
task force
Temporary goal-oriented team
- senior staffExperienced, high-ranking employees
- core groupEssential central members
- top brassSenior leadership collectively
handpicked · department heads · go-getters · essential workers
special forces
Elite unconventional warfare troops
- commandoSpecial operations soldier
- covert opsSecret military missions
- missionPurpose-driven task
tactical · squad · extraction · mercenary · Vietnam · fugitive · underground · soldier of fortune · black ops · paramilitary
all-stars
Selected elite players
- first stringStarting squad members
- varsityPrimary school squad
- eliteSuperior select group
cream of the crop · top tier · specialists · talent · high achievers · MVPs · front-runners · standouts · headliners · superstars
- selected groupscommittee, panel, jury, task force, delegation
A-teamsecond string
Substitute players, not starters
junior varsity · JV · third string · scrubs · second-raters
A-teamreserves
Resources held back
substitutes · backups · bench warmers · practice squad · taxi squad