ace of aces
Best among bests
An ace of aces is the most successful fighter pilot in a military force—the one with the highest number of aerial victories.
The title emerged from World War I, when pilots who shot down five or more enemy aircraft earned "ace" status; the ace of aces topped them all.
Manfred von Richthofen was Germany's ace of aces.
The phrase extends to anyone who stands supreme among elite performers in any field.
- air forceMilitary aviation branch
- fighter pilotAirborne military combatant
- aerial combatWarfare between aircraft
- war heroOne honored for combat bravery
- combat missionsArmed military operations
gold medalist · icon · prodigy · grandmaster · legend · virtuoso · squadron leader · dogfight · kill count · record-holder · top scorer · paragon · exemplar · champion · best of the best · luminary · superstar · air marshal
ace of acesbottom of the barrel
Worst of what remains
dead last · hopeless case · washout · cellar dweller · incompetent
ace of acescannon fodder
Troops treated as disposable
easy target · sitting duck · victim · defeated · vanquished