Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

up one's sleeve

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.80 in modern English

Syllables: up- one's sleeve
IPA

17

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

2

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

prep_phrase

Hidden and ready to be produced as needed; in reserve.

Example Sentences

"I have tried everything I can think of, and I don't have anything more up my sleeve."
""There may be things that you know which I do not. I have not pretended to be aware of all the details of your show. But equally I've got something up my sleeve that you don't know about. And that's where I mean to score. Danvers was a damned clever fellow——" He broke off as if he had said too much."

Etymology

From the practice of magicians hiding tricks or gimmicks in the sleeve.

Inflected Forms

up one's sleeves (alternative)

Phrases

nothing-up-my-sleeve number roll up one's sleeves

Frequently Paired Words

nothing-up-my-sleeve number roll up one's sleeves

Questions

What does up one's sleeve mean?: Hidden and ready to be produced as needed; in reserve.
Where does up one's sleeve come from?: From the practice of magicians hiding tricks or gimmicks in the sleeve.

How to pronounce up one's sleeve

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “up one's sleeve”.
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