bag of tricks

Idioms  

1. One's stock of resources and stratagems, as in Mom can fix anything—you never know what she will pull out of her bag of tricks. Alluding to the magician's bag of equipment for performing magic tricks, this term was first recorded in 1694, when Jean de La Fontaine, in one of his fables, has a fox carry a sac des ruses (“bag of tricks”).

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Example Sentences

“Just as many didn’t know the U.S. had all these tools for economic coercion, China is now saying, ‘look, we’ve prepared a bag of tricks too,’” said Damien Ma, director of research center Carnegie China.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026

Confidence oozing from every player, and Kerolin a bag of tricks and flair, it was a showcase of everything that has helped City carve out such a commanding lead.

From BBC • Feb. 1, 2026

I’m pretty optimistic, but nothing in my bag of tricks was working when I was on that show.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 9, 2025

It was everything out of the bag of tricks just crammed together.

From Slate • Nov. 5, 2024

I go up into my bedroom, dump out my bag of tricks.

From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz