come up trumps
Surprise with success
To come up trumps is to succeed or produce a good result, especially when it wasn't certain: The weather came up trumps for the wedding.
The phrase suggests performing well under pressure or delivering when needed—like playing a winning trump card.
Chiefly British.
Also turn up trumps.
- excelSurpass all others
- succeedAchieve a desired aim
- prevailTo succeed ultimately
- winAchieve victory
- achieveSucceed through effort
prosper · triumph · overcome · beat the odds · against all odds · surprise · shine · fluke · stroke of luck · breakthrough · resourcefulness · serendipity · save the day · last-minute save · fortune · cleverness · payoff · luck
come up trumpslet down
Fail to meet expectations
fall short · drop the ball · come up short · fall flat · disappoint
come up trumpscome a cropper
To fall or fail suddenly
go belly up · crash and burn · go pear-shaped · fall apart · go wrong
come up trumpslet someone down
leave in the lurch · fold · bottle it · lose one's nerve · flake out
come, comes, coming, comer, trump, trumps, trumped, trumping