Meanings
alternative up one's sleeves
- idiomaticHidden and ready to be produced as needed; in reserve.
I have tried everything I can think of, and I don't have anything more up my sleeve.
1 more example
"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.
1922, Agatha Christie, “Chapter 16”, in The Secret Adversary
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
From the practice of magicians hiding tricks or gimmicks in the sleeve.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 锦囊妙计
- 锦囊妙计 (jǐnnángmiàojì)hidden, in reserve
Finnish hihassa
- hihassahidden, in reserve
French dans sa manche
- dans sa manchehidden, in reserve
German im Ärmel
- im Ärmelhidden, in reserve
Icelandic luma á, eiga í pokahorninu
- luma áhidden, in reserve
- eiga í pokahorninuhidden, in reserve
- lúra áhidden, in reserve
- hafa í bakhöndinnihidden, in reserve
Italian avere un asso nella manica
- avere un asso nella manicahidden, in reserve
Polish w rękawie, w zanadrzu
- w rękawiehidden, in reserve
- w zanadrzuhidden, in reserve
Portuguese na manga
- na mangahidden, in reserve
Russian за па́зухой, исподтишка́
- за па́зухой (za pázuxoj)hidden, in reserve
- исподтишка́ (ispodtišká)hidden, in reserve
Spanish debajo de la manga
- debajo de la mangahidden, in reserve
Cite this entry
up one's sleeve. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/up%20one's%20sleeve
“up one's sleeve.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/up%20one's%20sleeve. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “up one's sleeve,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/up%20one's%20sleeve.
Source: up one's sleeve on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.