hole card
Americannoun
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Stud Poker. the card dealt face down in the first round of a deal.
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something held in reserve until it can be used to advantage.
Etymology
Origin of hole card
An Americanism dating back to 1905–10
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Seahawks also have the hole card of a win over the Giants, giving them the edge in any ties with New York.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 28, 2022
And long-term, Seattle does have something of a hole card here if it really wanted to force the issue in the franchise tag after the 2022 season.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 11, 2022
And one of the worst setbacks a leader can confront is losing his advantage on the issue that had been his hole card.
From Washington Post • Dec. 22, 2021
They’d play that table, and if the stars aligned, that dealer might unintentionally reveal the hole card.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2021
The extended black family was Mommy’s hole card, and she played it as often as the times demanded because her family was not available to her.
From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
