honor trick

noun

, Bridge.

1. (in certain bidding systems) a high card or set of high cards that can reasonably be expected to take a trick, the total worth of such cards in a hand being the basis for evaluating its strength and bidding.

Word History and Origins

Origin of honor trick¹

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

For suit bids, Goren stuck pretty much to Culbertson's elaborate "honor trick" count, but for no-trump bidding he adopted Milton Work's method of evaluating a hand with a point count: four points for an ace, three for a king, two for a queen, one for a jack.

From Time Magazine Archive