in the hole
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.66 in modern English
15
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
prep_phrase
prep_phrase
Of a card ("the hole card") which is dealt face down and thus unknown to all but its holder; hence (idiomatic) in reserve; in particular ace in the hole.
Example Sentences
- "Further testimony to his commercial incompetence lay in the fact that, at fifty cents a copy, a complete sellout would have left him worse than $300 in the hole—proof enough, if proof was needed, that it wasn't primarily money he was after; it was fame."
- "Finance Director Robert Law added that even if Camden laid off all of its civilian employees, it would still be millions in the hole."
- "Instead it was a critical and commercial bomb that put his production company millions in the hole, necessitating two Pusher sequels (in 2004 and 2005) to get him in the black."