Green’s Dictionary of Slang

ace-high adj.

also aces-high
[poker imagery]

1. (orig. US) valued or esteemed highly.

implied in stand ace-high
[US]‘O. Henry’ ‘The Love-Philtre of Ikey Schoenstein’ in Four Million (1915) 123: From the very first dose he was ace-high and everybody else looked like thirty cents to her.
[US]Van Loan ‘For the Pictures’ in Taking the Count 341: You’re a smart fellow [...] You’re ace-high with the newspaper men.
[UK]Wodehouse Leave it to Psmith (1993) 498: This guy’s ace-high with Lady Constance.
[Aus]L. Lower Here’s Luck 173: You seem to be ace high with the manager, and you’re terrible well in.
[UK]P. Cheyney Dames Don’t Care (1960) 92: She was aces high with Granworth.
[US]O. Strange Sudden Takes the Trail 121: Him an’ the marshal are ace-high.
[US]Baker ‘Influence of American Sl. on Australia’ in AS XVIII:4 256: A knock-out sketch of a hot baby and an ace-high sport got beat up by some tough eggs before the cops woke up. It was a dirty meal.
[US]B. Appel Tough Guy [ebook] ‘You’re aces high with everybody so don’t spoil it’.
[US]B. Jackson Get Your Ass in the Water (1974) 143: I don’t care how they dress or how they look, / as long as they drink wine, they ace-high in my book.
[US]‘Red’ Rudensky Gonif 152: I had to pay my respects to the boys in St. Louis and Chicago [...] You’re sure ace-high with them, Charlie.
[US]D. Jenkins Semi-Tough 250: You’re aces high with me, Duke.
[US](con. 1900s) G. Swarthout Shootist 151: Not three days ago he thought I was ace high.
[US]S. King Stand (1990) 1219: He’s ace-high with the tall man.

2. (US) expert.

[US]E. Dahlberg Bottom Dogs 54: A big guy, who was aces high fightin’ micks.

3. (orig. US prison) of an inmate, loyal, trustworthy, popular among his peers; note mis-defined as a n. in cit. 1931–4.

[US]D. Clemmer Prison Community (1940) 330: aces high, n. Trustworthiness; a term reflecting trust and reliability in a person of the underworld.
[US]Neaman & Silver Euphemisms 207: He will work to be considered aces high, one trusted by his fellow inmates.

In phrases

stand ace-high (v.) (also stand aces-high)

(US) to be highly esteemed (cf. stand ace (with) under ace n.).

Buffalo Times (NY) 18 Aug. 4/3: These two of a kind [i.e. matched horses] will stand ace high most anywhere.
[US]Courier (Lincoln, Neb.) 29 Sept. 13/3: Arthur Dunn stands aces high in popular estimation.
[US]Ade Artie (1963) 78: Ain’t I told you that anybody I bring stands ace-high?
Owensboro Messenger (KY) 14 July 4/1: Campbell didn’t stand ace high with the state leaders.
[US]Day Book (Chicago) 29 Sept. 20/1: I must admit I’m quite a guy [...] I stand with dad about aces high.
[US]Broadax (Chicago) 22 Mar. 1/1: Hon. Julius Rosenwald, who stands ace high with the colored people.
[US]R. Lardner ‘Mr. and Mrs. Fix-It’ in Coll. Short Stories (1941) 414: It turned out that he really did know ’em; yes, and stood ace high with ’em, too.
[US]W.C. Williams letter 11 Aug. in Sel. Letters (1957) 103: Marianne gets little credit for her fight in New York but stands aces high with me for what she is doing.
Eve. Herald (Klamath Falls. OR) 25 Oct. 10/1: [advert] With smokers in every part of the country Chesterfields stand ace high.
[US]Billboard 16 June 67/2: These boys are fast-money getters [...] Frankie is tops in his line and stands ace high with all.
R. Traver Hornstein’s Boy 103: He’s nuttier than the proverbial fruit cake, but the people eat up his columns [...] and apparently he stands ace high with the famished overlords of the Ledger.