trump card

[ truhmp kahrd truhmp kahrd ]

noun

1. Cards. trump ¹( def 1a ).
2. Informal. something that gives one person or group the advantage over another:

   The surprise witness was his trump card.

trump card

1. In general, something capable of making a decisive difference when used at the right moment; in certain card games, trump is the suit designated as having precedence over the others: “The prosecutor was about to win the case, when the defense lawyer produced her trump card: an eyewitness who testified that the accused was nowhere near the scene of the crime.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of trump card¹

First recorded in 1815–25

Idioms and Phrases

A key resource to gain an advantage at the opportune moment, as in That surprise witness was the defense's trump card , or She played her trump card, announcing that the Senator would speak . This expression transfers the trump card of games such as bridge, which can win over a card of another suit, to other kinds of advantage. [Early 1800s]

Example Sentences

The party had banked on the Ram Mandir temple to be their trump card, with Mr Modi presiding over the opening of the unfinished temple in Ayodhya with much fanfare in January.

From BBC

All the best scenes are fights, and each character has a little trump card stashed away.

From New York Times

Tarot was just a trump card game first played by Europeans in the 1400s.

From Los Angeles Times

What if the committee denies the SEC and rewards the Seminoles’ unblemished record and Texas’ head-to-head trump card?

From Los Angeles Times

“That was her trump card. It was a unique situation that she overcame,” Kim said.

From Los Angeles Times