ace up sleeve
Secret winning move
An ace up one's sleeve is a secret advantage held in reserve.
The phrase comes from card cheating—literally hiding a winning card to play at a decisive moment.
Someone with an ace up their sleeve has an undisclosed resource or plan ready to deploy when needed: Just when we thought we'd won the negotiation, they revealed an ace up their sleeve.
- hiddenKept out of sight
- trickDeliberate deception
- magic trickPerformed feat seeming impossible
- secretConcealed information
- hidden agendaUndisclosed true purpose
trump · trump card · advantage · secret weapon · gambit · surprise · cunning · sleight · cards · poker · poker face · bluff · play your cards · reserve · weapon · ploy · scheme · deceit
- card humor
- advantagesedge, leverage, upper hand, leg up, head start
- strategic expressionsultimatum, bluff, gambit, leverage, bargaining chip
- gambling lingoall in, ante up, raise the stakes, go all in, high roller
- strategystrategy, grand strategy, tactics, tactic, tactical
- plot twistsplot twist, twist ending, surprise ending, unexpected turn, final reveal
ace up sleevefair play
Honorable conduct in games
above board · straight shooter · cards on the table · transparency · open hand
ace up sleeveempty-handed
Possessing nothing to show
up a creek without a paddle · dead in the water · backed into a corner · at a loss · shot one's bolt
ace up sleeveAchilles heel
Singular fatal vulnerability
fatal flaw · weak spot · vulnerability · handicap · disadvantage