ace in the hole

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ace in the hole

Where it comes from

From stud poker in which there is one unknown card called the hole card, referring to the optimum hole card being an ace.

noun aces in the hole

  1. US, idiomatic, informal Synonym of ace up one's sleeve. Our ace in the hole left our opponents stupefied; it isn't every day that an NBA star plays street basketball.

    Similar: ace up one's sleeve

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MLA

"ace in the hole." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/ace%20in%20the%20hole. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

ace in the hole. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/ace%20in%20the%20hole

Chicago

"ace in the hole." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/ace%20in%20the%20hole.

BibTeX
@misc{ace_in_the_hole_2026,
  title = {ace in the hole},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/ace%20in%20the%20hole},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}