ace n.
1. the vagina; cit. 1719 is double entendre.
![[UK]](/static/img/flags/uk.png "United Kingdom") | Two Angry Women of Abington I i: Why, had ye kept your man in his right place, / I should not then have hit him with an ace. | |
| ‘Assembly at Kensington’ Harleian Mss. 7315: If Wallers Brain were like her face / She’d ne’re let Somersett f— her A—. | |
| in Pills to Purge Melancholy V 90: Poor Donald [...] lost his Place, Sir; For playing of a Game at Whisk, And turning up an Ace, Sir. | |
| Choice Spirits Museum 91: Out upon The ficked Rogue, That wrote apout hur A---. | |
| Sl. and Its Analogues. |
2. (also ace of spades) the penis.
| Epigrams I No. 79: Thou with thy Husband do’st play false at Tables. / First, thou so cunningly a Die canst slurre, / To strike an Ace, so dead, it cannot sturre. | |
| in Pills to Purge Melancholy IV 323: To the Tavern we went, / A Curse on the Place; / For her Love was so hot, / It soon fir’d my A—. | |
| Swell’s Night Guide 107/2: Ace of spades [...] also the heart-stirring monosyllable, see pego and cartsue. |
3. from the high value of the card.
(a) (orig. US) an important, influential person; someone of high quality or held in high esteem; an outstanding person.
![[US]](/static/img/flags/us.png "United States") | Tales of the Ex-Tanks 47: With $420 I could be an ace and get a start out in the Town of the Wind. | |
| Girl Proposition 13: Number One was trying to demonstrate that he was a Deuce of a Fellow and Number Two was trying to convince her that she was an Ace of a Girl. | |
| ‘His Own Stuff’ in Score by Innings (2004) 388: Uncle Billy was certainly an ace at the Montmorency Street Police Station. | |
| Damsel in Distress 35: Put it in your diary, Mac, and write it on your cuff, George Bevan’s all right. He’s an ace. | |
| Broadway Melody 21: Thanks, Uncle Bernie. You’re an ace. | |
| Gas-House McGinty 358: He ain’t the ace that you were. | |
| Serenade to the Big Bird 87: You couldn’t find a better guy [...] And what an ACE with the women. | |
| Jives of Dr. Hepcat (1989) 5: The pad is loaded with hipsters from all fronts, mad aces in their places, cool chicks strictly the lick, fine and most bulling. | |
| Sensualists (1961) 78: You’re an ace. | |
| et al. CUSS 69: Ace A socially adept person. A quick or witty person. | |
| Ball Four 83: [Y]ou can be seven kinds of idiot and as long as you hang around with the boys you’re accepted as an ace. | |
| Bonfire of the Vanities 474: Mr. Manslaughter [...] you wasted some ace. | |
| ‘Still D.R.E.’ 🎵 I’ll break your neck, damn near put your face in your lap / Try to be the king but the ace is back. | |
| (con. 1940s–60s) Straight from the Fridge Dad. | |
![[Aus]](/static/img/flags/aus.png "Australia") | (con. 1960s-70s) Top Fellas 17/1: [of fashionable dressers] An up-to-date wardrobe separated the aces from the offal. | |
| Pineapple Street 10: [T]he beautiful woman who also happened to be an ace at crosswords. |
(b) (orig. Aus.) an expert.
| Colonial Reformer II 233: He was an ‘ace-of-clubs’ man with the pistol. | |
| letter 22 Oct. in Channing War Letters of Edmond Genet 220: Lufbery [...] has 5 enemy machines to his credit now and is, therefore, numbered among the best pilots of the service. When one has brought down 5 enemy machines he is [...] one of the ‘aces’ of the corps. | |
| (con. WWI) Gloss. of Sl. [...] in the A.I.F. 1921–1924 (2nd edn). | |
| ‘Dead Yellow Women’ Story Omnibus (1966) 159: Dick Foley — our shadow ace — was idle. | |
| Born to Be (1975) 236: Ace: A senior railroad porter. | |
| Knights of the Cockpit 2: This hardboiled flying ace. | |
| London’s Und. 57: A blackmailer. Of the highest possible type, of course — a top-notcher, a king-pin, a crackajack, an ace. | |
| Phenomena in Crime 62: A professional’s work — and an ‘ace’ at that. | |
| Enemy Coast Ahead (1955) 228: They were the aces of Bomber Command. | |
| letter 21 July in Proud Highway (1997) 278: He’s a real ace. | |
| Current Sl. II:4 3: Ace, n. A skilled performer. | |
| (con. 1910s) Livin’ the Blues 41: ‘You might fool these tadpoles,’ he went on waving his hand toward the younger boys [...] ‘but you gotta put somethin’ straighter’n that for an old ace like me. You never had nothin’ but ol’ Minnie Five Fingers!’. | |
| Guardian G2 16 July 8: Don’t forget tennis ace and pretty face Anna Kournikova. | |
![[Ire]](/static/img/flags/ire.png "Ireland") | Cartoon City 14: If he didn’t have the piece ready for Migraine on the agreed deadline then he might lose his chance of being a features ace. | |
| (con. 1960s) Blood’s a Rover 30: Spooks: The restaurant was thick with them [...] Colored waiters, colored lobbyist, colored baseball ace. |
(c) something useful, important.
| Alaska Citizen 28 Aug. 7/2: She [...] came back with the ace by sending him a letter that smelled like a drug store. | |
| Leather Pushers 24: The Kid’s ace was his left hook. | |
| This Is New York 26 Apr. [synd. col.] He has several big [publicity] accounts and his three ‘aces’ are the proctor Gmable, Jimmy Lunceford [...] and Chilton and Thomas. | |
| Jimmy Brockett 21: I was thinking about Ziegler and whether my ace would be good enough. | |
| Mirage (1958) 232: It was the baby she saw as her strong card; that was an ace. For even white folk had pity on a woman carrying a child. | |
| Scene (1996) 145: The punk knows when he’s holding an ace. | |
| Brown’s Requiem 105: She popped her final ace — ‘Walter, if you persist with this behaviour, I shall have to call Judge Gray and have you committed’. | |
![[NZ]](/static/img/flags/nz.png "New Zealand") | Big Huey 244: ace (n) 1. The best, of high quality. | |
| One Night Out Stealing 29: Humour’s my ace card. | |
| Hooky Gear 234: My insurance policy, my one an only ace, could be down there on the damp floor. |
(d) (US black) a very close friend.
| Pittsburgh Courier (PA) 24 May 11/5: Chauncey, Betty's ‘ace’, was still ‘tops’ with the girl. | |
| ‘Wrong Way Home’ in Tell Them Nothing (1956) 147: ‘Who’s this new cat?’ ‘One of my aces.’. | |
| Manchild in the Promised Land (1969) 84: One day after we became aces we had our first fight. | |
| Carlito’s Way 49: ‘You’re pals with Tommy Dunphy [...]?’ ‘Yeah, we’re aces.’. | |
| Runnin’ Down Some Lines 227: ace n. 1. Best friend, close companion (one who can be trusted). | |
| ‘Fuck Wit Dre Day’ 🎵 Used to be my homey, used to be my ace. | |
| Tuff 6: Rude, Kooky, Shorty-Wop, Point Blank — right there’s my ace Fariq. |
(e) (US) a detective.
| Man with the Golden Arm 32: Seeing a pair of aces from the Saloon Street Station making for the entrance. | |
| Lucky You 159: Nice work, ace. |
(f) a term of (intimate) address.
| Swell-Looking Babe 41: You see, Ace? You got three strikes called the minute they look at you. | |
| (con. 1958) Been Down So Long (1972) 18: Give me the Victorian for ‘how’s your ass, ace?’. | |
| (con. 1940s) Tattoo (1977) 184: Not me, ace. | |
| ‘George’s Last Ride’ Boys from the Blackstuff (1985) [TV script] 250: All right, ace. | |
| Hard Candy (1990) 96: You got no case, Ace. | |
| Another Day in Paradise 13: Kinda like you ace, just older and not quite as dumb. | |
| (con. 1975–6) Steel Toes 18: Tell the truth, ace, have ya ever really fucked a midget? | |
| Way Home (2009) 18: I don’t have to tell you anything, Ace. | |
| The Force [ebook] ‘Time to move, ace’. |
(g) (US campus) used sarcastically, a fool, a clumsy person.
| Current Sl. IV:1. |
(h) (US campus) the grade of A.
| et al. CUSS 69: Ace [...] the grade of ‘A’. | |
| (con. 1964–8) oral testimony in HDAS I 368/1: When I was in college an A was an ace, a B was a bang, a C was a cat or a hook, a D was a dog. | |
| What’s The Good Word? 300: Gut courses — where ‘gut gunners’ get an ‘easy Ace’ (A) as opposed to a ‘Hook’ (C) or ‘Flag’ (F). | |
| Sl. and Sociability 37: Ace ‘the grade A’, Dog ‘the grade D’, and Zoo ‘the lowest grade possible, Z’ are straightforward expansions. |
(i) a professional killer.
| Airtight Willie and Me 64: Two Outfit Aces are out to hit you. |
4. as a single unit.
(a) (US) $1; $1’s worth.
| Taking Chances 108: Get an ace down on Rolling Boer for me. | |
| Sun (NY) 9 Sept. 3/2: Every one of ’em with as high as nine aces in his roll. | |
| ‘Life on Broadway’ in McClure’s Mag. Mar. 36/1: I [...] was gave one contemptible ace for sixteen coats. | |
| in Zwilling TAD Lex. (1993) 17: I’m in again — I got another berry — I just put the bee on the stenog for an ace. | |
| ‘Prison Lingo’ in AS II:6 282: Ace — A one dollar bill. Sometimes means one year in jail. | |
| This Is New York 4 Oct. [synd.col.] ‘Mac’ Baker: You have an ‘ace’ coming to you for those two ducats. | |
| Really the Blues 217: Sonny’s hip from way back and solid can blow some gauge, so lay an ace on us and let us get gay. | |
| Who Walk in Darkness 13: Can you lend me an ace? | |
| Real Bohemia xx: The purchases are made in cash: an ace ($1). | |
| Lowspeak. | |
![[Can]](/static/img/flags/can.png "Canada") | (con. 1920s) Legs 92: It’s only a deuce a jump [...] Bert and I’ll put up an ace each to get you laid. | |
| et al. A2Z. |
(b) (US) a single example.
| ‘Chivalry in Carbon County’ in Score by Innings (2004) 328: That one run looked mighty good to us [...] we were thankful for that ace. |
(c) (US Und.) a one-year jail sentence.
 | see sense 4a. | |
| ‘“Ace” and its Progeny’ in AS XVIII:1 Feb. 71/2: ace, n. [...] a sentence of one year in a jail or prison. ‘Joe was an ace of a guy; he clipped (stole) an ace-note (one dollar banknote) and he drew an ace (one-year sentence) in the can (jail).’. | |
| et al. DAUL 165/2: Pull an ace. (P) To serve one year in prison. | |
| (con. 1950-1960) Dict. Inmate Sl. (Walla Walla, WA) 2: Ace – a one-year prison term. | |
| ‘Catheads [...] and Cho-Cho Sticks’ in Abernethy Bounty of Texas (1990) n.p.: ace, n. [...] a one-year prison sentence. | |
| False Starts 361: An ace? That’s no hill for a stepper. A year ain’t shit. |
(d) (UK Und.) £1.
| (con. 1950s–60s) Little Legs 192: ace, an £1. |
(e) (US gambling) the one-spot on a die.
| Complete Guide to Gambling. |
5. in drug contexts.
(a) (US drugs) marijuana, a marijuana cigarette.
| New Yorker 12 Mar. 40: An ace is a single stick [i.e. of marijuana] and sells for 15 cents. | |
| Traffic In Narcotics 303: ace. A marihuana cigarette. | |
| Drugs from A to Z (1970) 25: ace [...] A marijuana cigarette. | |
| Underground Dict. (1972). | |
| ONDCP Street Terms 1: Ace — Marijuana cigarette. | |
| ‘What Police Must Learn’ in Dly Teleg. 8 Nov. 🌐 ace — cannabis cigarette. |
(b) (US drugs) phencyclidine (PCP), a dangerous hallucinogenic based on animal (pig) tranquillizer.
| ONDCP Street Terms 1: Ace — [...] PCP. |
(c) (US drugs) one single pill of amphetamine, barbiturate or tranquillizer.
| Runnin’ Down Some Lines 180: I drop an ace an maybe an hour later, I’ll drop another one. |
(d) (US prison) a puff on a cigarette.
| Prison Dict. at BoyzBehindBars.com 🌐 Ace: a puff of a cigarette, as in ‘Bust me down with an ace’ (NY). |
In compounds
(US) a $1 bill.
| ‘Vocabulary of Bums’ in AS IV:5 337: Ace note — A dollar bank-note. | |
| Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 17: Ace Note. – A one dollar bill. | |
| ‘“Ace” and its Progeny’ in AS XVIII:1 Feb. 71/2: ace, n. A fine person; [...] ‘Joe was an ace of a guy; he clipped (stole) an ace-note (one dollar banknote) and he drew an ace (one-year sentence) in the can (jail).’. | |
| (con. 1920s) Legs 117: I exchanged the hard money for soft, rolled four ace notes tightly and buried them in the tobacco bag. |
(US) a $1 bill.
| Gay-Cat 92: He fumbled [...] in his trousers pocket. ‘It’s not much — only an ace spot.’ [...] There was something in one of his manacled hands. It was a dollar bill. |
In phrases
(orig. US) a hidden asset.
| Maison De Shine 86: Eva’s acting to me as if she had an ace in the hole, an’ she might get tipped off. | |
| ‘It Wasn’t Honest, But It Was Sweet’ in Beef, Iron and Wine (1917) 224: His ace in the hole is your shame at coming to him. | |
| Fighting Blood 212: Don’t get any idea in your head that I had any plans to quit trying or ease up on the pace I’d set myself because I had millionaire for an ace in the hole. | |
| Iron Man 133: Favour that right tomorrow night, Coke [...] and you’ll have an ace in the hole. | |
| ‘Ace in the Hole’ 🎵 So baby, this rule I propose / Always have an ace in the hole. | |
| Corruption City 19: That’s where you come in, Mike. You’re Nemo’s ace in the hole. | |
| LBJ Brigade (1967) 75: I don’t gotta re-up. That’s my ace in the hole. | |
| Bad (1995) 154: Killian came after us [...] figuring he had us cold. But we had an ace in the hole. | |
| Tourist Season (1987) 144: He was our ace in the hole, our smoking gun. | |
| Grand Central Winter (1999) 110: He came to New York with one ace in the hole. | |
| Guardian G2 1 Apr. 8: Railtrack did have one ace in the hole. |
1. (US black) an African-American partner .
| N.Y. Amsterdam Star-News 27 Sept. 15: She felt guilty at thinking of cheating on her ace of clubs, but then, this ace of clubs was sooo, tooo good!! |
2. see black ace
the vagina.
| May-Day V i: I played the varlet and took up her coat, and meaning to lay my five finger upon her ace of hearts, up starts quite a contrary card. |
1. a widow [the widow’s clothes].
| Swell’s Night Guide 107/2: Ace of spades, a widow. | |
| Londres et les Anglais 312/1: ace of spades [...] une veuve. | |
| Breckenridge News (Cloveport, KY) 23 Aug. 3/3: I’m a ‘ankle,’ and my mother a ‘ace of spades’. | |
| Aus. Sl. Dict 3: Ace of Spades, a widow. | |
| Argus (Melbourne) 20 Sept. 6/4: A widow is known to him as a [...] mantrap or an ace of spades, while an old maid is generally a quail. | |
| (con. 1950-1960) Dict. Inmate Sl. (Walla Walla, WA) 2: Ace of spades – a widow. | |
| (ref. to 1890s) ‘Gloss. of Larrikin Terms’ in Larrikins 201: ace of spades: a widow. |
2. the female genital area [a fig. ‘black hole’].
| Sl. and Its Analogues. | |
| Playboy’s Book of Forbidden Words. | |
| Euphemisms 27: Another term for the vagina is the American ace of spades. |
3. a black person; sometime derog. but usu. used by blacks themselves to designate a friend, a loyal trustworthy person [spade n.].
| ‘“Ace” and its Progeny’ in AS XVIII:1 Feb. 71/2: ace of spades. [...] a trustworthy negro. | |
| Orig. Hbk of Harlem Jive 42: Ah, ’tis my gallant Othello, ace of my spades. | |
| Giveadamn Brown (1997) 79: Francis was an ace. A real ace of spades. The tops. | |
| Lang. of Ethnic Conflict 46: Color Allusions, Other than ‘Black’ and ‘Negro’: [...] club [cf. ace-of-spades, spade]. | |
| Lex. of Cadet Lang. 6: ace1 a negro; a black. One respondent gives the term ace of spades. | |
| Vatican Bloodbath 101: bastard! Born to kill! Born to rule! Ace of spades! Ace of spades! | |
| ‘Slick Rick’ 🎵 I brought J Spades / An ace of spades. |
4. (also ace of arse) the area of dark skin around the anus.
| Roger’s Profanisaurus in Viz Apr. 47: ace of arse n. The patch of dark skin around the anus, frequently shaped like the Ace of Spades. |
the female genital area.
| Lives of the Gamesters (1930) 151: His mistress’s delicate white buttock turn’d up, and she produced her ace of trumps. |
(orig. US) a hidden advantage, not to be revealed until a suitable moment.
| Fortnightly 47 616: It subsequently transpired that the pleasant old gentleman who at that time acted as President had an ace up his sleeve. | |
| All the Year Round 13 Aug. 158: There is no ace up his sleeve, no mean trick to spring upon those who have trusted him. | |
| Times Mag. (US) I 364: The men around the ballot-boxes hesitated. But there was one of them who had an ace up his sleeve. | |
| Thirty-Nine Steps (1930) 7: They’ve gotten the ace up their sleeves [...] and they are going to play it and win. | |
| Me – Gangster 56: The district attorney had another ace up his sleeve. | |
| Miss Pym Disposes (1957) 165: ‘You can surely put up with him for an hour or so, and not use Rouse’s accident as a sort of ace from your sleeve’. | |
| Sign of Fool 69: My supervisor [...] had an ace up his sleeve. | |
| A-Team 2 (1984) 83: We’ve got to implement another plan now, and you’re the ace up our sleeve. | |
| Dict. of Invective (1991) 286: Among them: ace in the hole; ace up [one’s] sleeve. | |
| Stalker (2001) 399: Isn’t an ace up her sleeve the usual expression? |
the female genital area.
| ‘Myrtle Grove’ n.p.: The Ace of Clubs, so white, so black, the struting pillow of delight. | |
| She Would if She Cou’d IV ii: She’s as frolic and free, / As her Lovers dare be, / Never aw’d by a foollish Punctilio; / She’l not start from her place, / Though thou nam’st a black Ace, / And will drink a Beer-glass to Spudilio. | |
| ‘A Session of the Poets’ in Poems on Affairs of State (1963) I 355: The poetess Aphra [i.e. Behn] next sho’d her sweet face / And swore by her poetry and her black ace. |
to produce a clean sheet of toilet paper, having wiped one’s anus thoroughly.
| Roger’s Profanisaurus 3 in Viz 98 Oct. 11: draw an ace v. On wiping one’s arse thoroughly, to eventually have an unsoiled piece of paper which indicates the wiping is over. |
(US) to concede an advantage to one’s opponent.
| Illus. Phonography 186/2: [T]here are some ignoramuses (?) who believe that Dement can give aces and spades to any stenographer when it comes to notetaking. | |
| American Veterinary Rev. 24 59: In the classic language of Chimmey Fadden, he was a ‘corker’ and could give aces and spades to Pasteurs [...] and Kochs, and then beat them at their own game. | |
| Current Opinion 360/3: Any educated farmer can give aces and spades to thoerists on this subject. | |
| Pictorial Rev. 35:2 75/1: Why, [Katherine Hepburn] could give aces and spades to his redoubtable sister, Ethel [Barrymore]. | |
| Invasion 9: He could give aces and spades ( and ofttimes hearts and diamonds , too ) to the professional brethren of our guild . | |
| Shame of N.Y. 8: Any of the aforementioned [reporters] could have given aces and spades to [...] Lincoln Steffens, who chronicled corruption exactly fifty years ago in this country, and left him far behind. | |
| Dial 60-61 253: Byron, Shelley, and Leopardi could give aces and spades to any modernist and beat him in the revelation of the nudities of human nature. |
(US) to be in total control.
| Initial Experience 111: I think ye hold an ace full, Tonto. | |
| Bucky O’Connor (1910) 63: I reckon I’m holding all the aces, Signor Cavellado. | |
| We Were the Rats 222: I don’t — hold any — aces. | |
| ‘The Death of Me’ in I Like ’Em Tough (1958) 98: ‘You’re holding the aces,’ I said. ‘In spades.’. | |
| Getaway in Four Novels (1983) 23: I’m holding aces and you’re trying to buy out with hot air. | |
| On the Yard (2002) 233: That’s why he’s such a big wheel. He’s holding aces. | |
| Union Dues (1978) 163: They think you hold all the aces when it comes to hiring. | |
![[SA]](/static/img/flags/sa.png "South Africa") | Staffrider (SA) 5-6 30: We aren't deterred by gun-wielding cops — for we hold all the Aces! [...] If God be for us who can be against us? | |
| Beyond a Reasonable Doubt 52: You’ve got to realize we hold all the aces. Sooner you plea bargain — later, you pace a cell for years,. | |
| Five Smooth Stones 666: We’re going to win because we hold all the aces. We hold the legal aces, that we know. | |
| It’s Your Kid 119: Parent, I’ll tell you a secret. You hold all the aces. |
(Aus./N.Z./S.Afr.) on one’s own.
| Sun. Times (Perth) 2 Oct. 4/7: And Brim’s in London on his ‘ace,’/ Of Andrew Barr a trifle ‘jack’. | |
| Spats’ Fact’ry (1922) 34: Why don’t I get married? [...] Cos it’s one iv them little things yeh can’t do on your ace. | |
| Tramp-Royal 213: Send ’em out ‘on their ace’ and they’ll probably ‘go camp’ under the first shady tree they come to . | |
| Ah Big Yaws? 53: Uys. The blessed state of solitude. [...] ’Ee-tin onyor Uys, ay? | |
| Sat. Night at the Palace (1985) 12: The oke’s on his ace – we mustn’t crowd him! | |
| Ridgey-Didge Oz Jack Lang 11: He would rather pen and ink on his ace until some of his Chinas lobbed. | |
| Aus. Prison Sl. Gloss. 🌐 Ace. 1. As in ‘on your ace’, ie alone, left to one’s own resources. Considered part of the prison ethos where a prisoner essentially has to do his own time. | |
| My Traitor’s Heart (1991) 259: Frikkie used to be able to drink a bottle of brandy [...] ‘on his ace,’ as we say. | |
| Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 5/2: on one’s ace on one’s own, by oneself. In prison, this is generally used with reference to one’s sentence, meaning to serve one’s time in prison independently, with no outside interferences. |
the female genital area.
| Sl. and Its Analogues. | |
| Vocabula Amatoria (1966) 104: Emplatre, m. The female pudendum; ‘the red ace’. |
(US Und.) a card in a crooked deck; but note cite 1928.
| Keys to Crookdom 417: Slick ace. Slick card in a crooked deck. | |
| Morn. Call (Allentown, PA) 27 May 29/2: There was the ‘slick ace’ [...] a deck of cards in which all the aces have been treated so that one may always cut an ace. | |
| Dayton Dly News (OH) 16 Sept. 145/2: ‘He uses a slick-ace. Know how that works?’ ‘Yes — He polishes the face of the ace with wax. Then, when the cards are shuffled and cut, nine times out of ten an ace is on the bottom. |
(US) to be held in the highest esteem by someone (cf. stand ace-high under ace-high adj.).
| Girl Proposition 46: He tried to stand Ace with the Old People. |
the vagina.
| Sl. and Its Analogues. | |
| Vocabula Amatoria (1966) 265: Vigne du seigneur, f. The female pudendum; ‘the wanton ace’. |