ace
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: ās
ipa: /eɪs/
rhymes: -eɪs
Forms: form: aces
Etymology: Inherited from Middle English as, from Old French as, from Latin as, assis (“unity, copper coin, the unit of coinage”), probably borrowed from Etruscan. Doublet of as. Likely related or deriving ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁éǵʰs, or otherwise taking from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- (“sharp, pointed”) in the sense of "singular".
Senses: examples: text: You see, Sir, when I look at the Ace it reminds me that there is but one God. The deuce reminds me that the bible is divided into two parts; the Old and New Testaments. And when I see the trey I think of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
ref: 1948 January 1, “Deck of Cards” (track 20), in Famous Country Music Makers, performed by Tex Ritter:
topics: card-games
games
glosses: A playing card showing a single pip, typically the highest or lowest ranking card in a game.
topics: dice
games
glosses: A die face marked with a single dot, typically representing the number one.
examples: text: Ace in the corner.
ref: 1961, The Hustler:
glosses: The ball marked with the number 1 in pool and related games.
examples: text: […] maybe two or three twenties, a dozen tens, and twenty or thirty fins. The rest is all aces and silver.
ref: 1990, David F. Friedman, Don DeNevi, A Youth in Babylon: Confessions of a Trash-film King, page 136:
text: If they got too many aces (dollar bills) or fives or tens, they turned them in to the vault where they became part of the reserve.
ref: 1996, Arthur M. Smith, Robert Thomas King, Let's Get Going, page 65:
glosses: A dollar bill.
examples: text: He will not bate an ace of absolute certainty.
ref: c. 1658, Dr. Henry More, Government of the Tongue:
text: I'LL not wag an ace farther: The whole World ſhall not bribe me to it;
ref: 1681, John Dryden, The Spanish Fryar: Or, the Double Discovery. […], London: […] Richard Tonson and Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, Act IV, page 45:
synonyms: word: ace
word: tinge
word: atom
word: trace element
word: aught
word: bissel
word: bit
word: crumb
word: glimpse
word: dab
word: damn
word: dash
word: diddly
word: glint
word: dot
word: spatter
word: drop
word: dusting
word: fleck
word: hint
word: flip
word: flyspeck
word: grain
word: halfpennyworth
word: inch
word: iota
word: jot
word: lick
word: mite
word: modicum
word: molecule
word: morceau
word: morsel
word: mote
word: ooch
word: ounce
word: particle
word: pennyworth
word: piece
word: pinch
word: scantling
word: semblance
word: scent
word: scintilla
word: scooch
word: scrap
word: scruple
word: shred
word: skerrick
word: skoosh
word: skosh
word: sliver
word: smattering
word: smidge
word: smidgen
word: smidget
word: smidgy
word: smitch
word: smithereen
word: soupçon
word: spark
word: speck
word: speckle
word: spot
word: sprinkle
word: sprinkling
word: strain
word: tad
word: tidbit
word: tidge
word: tittle
word: toddick
word: touch
word: trace
word: trifle
word: tuppence worth
word: vestige
word: whiff
word: whit
glosses: A very small quantity or degree; a particle; an atom; a jot.
topics: ball-games
games
hobbies
lifestyle
sports
tennis
volleyball
glosses: A serve won without the opponent hitting the ball.
topics: hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: A point won by a single stroke, as in handball, rackets, etc.
topics: ball-games
baseball
games
hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: The best pitcher on the team.
topics: ball-games
baseball
games
hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: A run.
examples: text: "Most of the aces weren't on holes I would have liked to have made them on," confessed Colk, who dropped his fifth dodo of 1935 on December 29, which was believed at the time to be a record for most aces in a year.
ref: 2012, Arv Olson, Backspin: 120 Years of Golf in British Columbia, page 253:
topics: golf
hobbies
lifestyle
sports
qualifier: disc golf
glosses: A hole in one.
examples: text: an ace detective
text: ‘Weston, the ace of theatrical agents.’
ref: 1932, Delos W. Lovelace, King Kong, published 1965, page 4:
text: Mexican ace Dos Santos smashed home the third five minutes later after good work from Defoe.
ref: 2011 September 29, Jon Smith, “Tottenham 3 - 1 Shamrock Rovers”, in BBC Sport:
synonyms: word: expert
word: wiz
word: adept
word: ace
word: artist
word: buff
word: crackerjack
word: crack hand
word: dab
word: dab hand
word: dabster
word: don hand
word: expert
word: Jedi Master
word: master
word: maven
word: old hand
word: old soldier
word: old stager
word: past master
word: proficient
word: top gun
word: whiz
word: wiz
word: wizard
word: veteran
glosses: An expert at something; a maverick, genius; a person of supreme talent.
glosses: A military aircraft pilot who is credited with shooting down many enemy aircraft, typically five or more.
glosses: A perfect score on a school exam.
glosses: Any of various hesperiid butterflies.
topics: natural-sciences
physical-sciences
physics
glosses: A quark.
Coordinate terms: topics: dice
games
dominoes
games
word: deuce
word: trey
word: cater
word: cinque
word: sice
Derived terms: word: ace bare
word: ace boon coon
word: aceboy
word: acegirl
word: ace-high
word: ace in a day
word: ace in the hole
word: aceness
word: ace of aces
word: ace of clubs
word: ace of diamonds
word: ace of hearts
word: ace of spades
word: ace point
word: aces and eights
word: aces and spaces
word: ace up one's sleeve
word: acey-deucey
word: air ace
alt: see bate
word: bate an ace
word: be aces with
word: black ace
word: chase the ace
word: Chinese ace
word: duty ace
word: easy aces
word: eights and aces
word: fighter ace
word: flying ace
word: gray ace
word: hold all of the aces
word: hold all the aces
word: hold the aces
word: jet ace
word: panzer ace
word: return ace
word: six-ace flat
word: submarine ace
word: ace of the deep
word: tank ace
word: tanker ace
word: U-boat ace
word: within ames ace
word: within an ace of