ace

Everyday

1. An ace is a playing card with one mark on it. tree →
2. A person who is very good at something is called an ace, like an ace pilot. tree →
3. To ace a test is to do it perfectly. tree →
4. In tennis, an ace is a serve the other player cannot touch. tree →
5. Ace (informal) means excellent. tree →
6. Within an ace of something means almost doing it, or coming very close to it. tree →

In the lessons

a playing card that is counted, or a word of the story about a skilled player; in probability, aces in a deck; phrases «ace a test», «an ace up your sleeve» (a secret advantage)

Examples

• A deck has 4 aces. tree →
• Tom drew 2 aces from the deck. tree →
• The tennis ace served 12 aces in the match. tree →
• How many cards are not aces? tree →
• She aced her spelling test. tree →
• He was an ace pilot in the war. tree →
• That party was ace! tree →
• The ace of hearts is red. tree →
• She kept an ace up her sleeve. tree →
• What is the chance of drawing an ace from 52 cards? tree →
• He was within an ace of falling in, when Dame Fortune appeared to him and touched him on the shoulder, cautioning him to move further away. tree →

Note

Just a thing counted; a deck of 52 cards has 4 aces. Trap: an ace can be worth 1 or 11 in some games, so read the rule of the problem. «Ace» meaning great is informal.