trick in one's hip pocket
- idiom
- Informal
:
as bajo la manga
- Whenever he felt stuck, he always seemed to have a trick in his hip pocket to get ahead.
Examples
-
She impressed the interviewers with a trick in her hip pocket that no one expected.
-
It's wise to keep a trick in your hip pocket for difficult negotiations.
-
She always has a trick in her hip pocket for tough negotiations.
-
Do you have a trick in your hip pocket for this situation?
-
It's wise to keep a trick in your hip pocket for challenging negotiations.
-
During the presentation, she revealed a trick in her hip pocket that amazed the audience.
-
He always carries a trick in his hip pocket to navigate tricky situations.
Synonyms
9
6.1
A hidden advantage you keep until you need it
4
6.5
A secret plan kept to use as a surprise when needed
3
7.0
A hidden advantage that someone keeps to use later
A secret advantage someone keeps to use when needed
A helpful idea or tool kept secret to use when needed
A secret plan you keep to use if the main plan fails
Antonyms
- Offensive
1
9.9
To show a company's private information to others, often during business talks
How Ready
Surface Forms
Morphology
trick + in + one + hip + pocket
The phrase's meaning ('a secret strategy kept in reserve') is directly derivable from 'trick' (a ploy) plus the locative image of something kept 'in one’s hip pocket' (stored close at hand for later use). This compositional spatial/metaphorical mapping (keeping something in a pocket = reserving it) is common and would be accessible to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.
Etymology
The phrase trick in one's hip pocket may come from the image of someone keeping a small trick or tool in their hip pocket, ready to pull out when trouble comes. So it means 'a secret plan or advantage kept for later'.