noun phrase🎓 English idiom

ace in the hole

a hidden advantage held in reserve

What it means

An ace in the hole is a powerful resource, skill, or piece of information that someone keeps hidden until the moment it can do the most good. It's used in negotiations, competitions, courtrooms, and business strategy to describe an unexpected edge that turns a situation.

Examples

  • Her fluent Mandarin was the ace in the hole during the merger talks.
  • We have an ace in the hole — a signed contract no one else knows about.
  • His patent portfolio is the company's real ace in the hole.
  • The defense lawyer kept one witness as an ace in the hole for closing arguments.

Where it comes from

From stud poker, where an 'ace in the hole' is a face-down ace that the other players cannot see. The American card term became a general business and political idiom in the 20th century.

Related idioms

#dark horse#wild card#safety net#last resort

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