ace-high, adj. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

ace-high adj.

also aces-high

[poker imagery]

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

1896		implied in stand ace-high
1906		‘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.
1913–14		Van Loan ‘For the Pictures’ in Taking the Count 341: You’re a smart fellow [...] You’re ace-high with the newspaper men.
1923		Wodehouse Leave it to Psmith (1993) 498: This guy’s ace-high with Lady Constance.
1930		L. Lower Here’s Luck 173: You seem to be ace high with the manager, and you’re terrible well in.
1937		P. Cheyney Dames Don’t Care (1960) 92: She was aces high with Granworth.
1940		O. Strange Sudden Takes the Trail 121: Him an’ the marshal are ace-high.
1943		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.
1955		B. Appel Tough Guy [ebook] ‘You’re aces high with everybody so don’t spoil it’.
1965		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.
1970		‘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.
1972		D. Jenkins Semi-Tough 250: You’re aces high with me, Duke.
1975		(con. 1900s) G. Swarthout Shootist 151: Not three days ago he thought I was ace high.
1978		S. King Stand (1990) 1219: He’s ace-high with the tall man.

2. (US) expert.

1929

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.

1931–4		D. Clemmer Prison Community (1940) 330: aces high, n. Trustworthiness; a term reflecting trust and reliability in a person of the underworld.
1983		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.).

1885		Buffalo Times (NY) 18 Aug. 4/3: These two of a kind [i.e. matched horses] will stand ace high most anywhere.
1894		Courier (Lincoln, Neb.) 29 Sept. 13/3: Arthur Dunn stands aces high in popular estimation.
1896		Ade Artie (1963) 78: Ain’t I told you that anybody I bring stands ace-high?
1906		Owensboro Messenger (KY) 14 July 4/1: Campbell didn’t stand ace high with the state leaders.
1916		Day Book (Chicago) 29 Sept. 20/1: I must admit I’m quite a guy [...] I stand with dad about aces high.
1919		Broadax (Chicago) 22 Mar. 1/1: Hon. Julius Rosenwald, who stands ace high with the colored people.
1925		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.
1928		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.
1937		Eve. Herald (Klamath Falls. OR) 25 Oct. 10/1: [advert] With smokers in every part of the country Chesterfields stand ace high.
1951		Billboard 16 June 67/2: These boys are fast-money getters [...] Frankie is tops in his line and stands ace high with all.
1962		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.