bag of tricks

bag of tricks

1. The items that one has available for use. The phrase originally referred to the items a magician would use for magic tricks. Let's see what I have in my bag of tricks to entertain the baby.
2. The skills that one has available for use. Our new pitcher has a killer fastball in her bag of tricks. She's an ace negotiator, so you know she has a few more surprises in her bag of tricks.
See also: bag, of, trick
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

bag of tricks

Fig. a collection of special techniques or methods. What have you got in your bag of tricks that could help me with this problem? Here comes Mother with her bag of tricks. I'm sure she can help us.
See also: bag, of, trick
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

bag of tricks

One's stock of resources and stratagems, as in Mom can fix anything-you never know what she will pull out of her bag of tricks. Alluding to the magician's bag of equipment for performing magic tricks, this term was first recorded in 1694, when Jean de La Fontaine, in one of his fables, has a fox carry a sac des ruses ("bag of tricks").
See also: bag, of, trick
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

someone's bag of tricks

Someone's bag of tricks is the set of special techniques or methods that they use in their work. Made in '98, this is a great film with the director going through his bag of tricks to brilliant effect. Let's see what he can pull out of his bag of tricks in tonight's match. Note: This expression refers to the bag in which a conjurer (= someone who does magic tricks) carries the equipment they need for their performances.
See also: bag, of, trick
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

a bag (or whole bag) of tricks

a set of ingenious plans, techniques, or resources. informal
See also: bag, of, trick
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

a bag/box of ˈtricks

(informal) a set of methods or equipment that somebody can use: Hotel managers are using a whole new bag of tricks to attract their guests.
See also: bag, box, of, trick
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

bag of tricks

One’s entire resources. It refers to the bag of the itinerant magician, which contained all the paraphernalia needed to perform his tricks. The expression dates back at least as far as one of La Fontaine’s fables (1694), in which a fox carries a sac des ruses. It became especially common in Victorian literature.
See also: bag, of, trick
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • a bag of tricks
  • a bag/box of tricks
  • a box of tricks
  • box of tricks
  • someone's bag of tricks
  • carte
  • à la carte
  • none of the above
  • blend together
  • fold, spindle, or mutilate
References in periodicals archive
Our reflections on the implementation of the Bag of Tricks game enable us to highlight a number of observable benefits.
Enhancing mathematical communication: Bag of Tricks game
They have little to lose, will be motivated to avenge last month's 38-10 home thrashing, and will no doubt delve into their bag of tricks.
Football: Pittsburgh points could mount up; SPREADWISE AMERICAN FOOTBALL
ARWEL Thomas proved he still owns a bag of tricks as crafty as any magician's.
Rugby Union: Awesome Arwel weaves his magic
Look at the laundry list of available automotive technologies these days and it reads like something Q would prepare for 007 before an important mission: radar cruise control, night vision, electronic stability control, and a whole host of acronyms that sound like they're meant to counteract SPECTRE's bag of tricks. However, these technologies are part and parcel of the electronic revolution that is changing the automobile from a purely mechanical device into an electro-mechanical one.
Prevailing technology: the winds of change in the auto industry may blow some automakers off course, but TRW is preparing safety systems designed to keep them on track
The research findings, suggesting that sildenafil may eventually serve in the cardiologist's bag of tricks, appeared in the journal Circulation.
Viagra may also help your heart
As one mentor stated:</p> <pre> I have developed quite a big 'bag of tricks' over the years.
Increasing self-efficacy through mentoring
CORRECTION: The liberal media here fall back into their well-worn bag of tricks: Jesse Helms, for example, is labeled as an "archconservative" (though corresponding tags are rarely applied to left-wing extremists).
Putdown for Helms, pass for M.L. King, Jr
Robert Plotkin, a beverage consultant, author of 15 books on beverage management and regular Cheers columnist on restaurant operations, offered a number of ideas from his bag of tricks.
Plotkin pushes profits
Focusing on how to negotiate the terms of one's job from the moment one starts looking for it, Negotiating Your Salary & Perks discusses such topics as the importance of knowing one's market, the necessity of being firm to win respect, why one should discourage premature offers and always talk to the decision maker rather than an intermediary, being wary of the employer's bag of tricks, what to do when one's employer thinks the grass on the other side of the fence is greener, and much more.
Negotiating Your Salary & Perks
He had an actual bag of tricks and he would reach into it to solve all of his problems.
It's in the bag
That's not part of most ballerinas' bag of tricks anymore."
Out of this world: Herman and Erica Cornejo are poised for stardom at ABT
'We haven't applied our full bag of tricks yet,' she said.
Moon hides its secrets
A resource for skeptical valuation veterans and curious newcomers alike, the Appraisal Institutes latest text on statistics delves deep into the statisticians bag of tricks and takes the reader through the analytical process step by step, from the initial exploratory data analysis through linear regression modeling, using the types of real estate situations and data appraisers commonly encounter.
Practical Applications in Appraisal Valuation Modeling
What happens with residual contamination once Kaiser-Hill packs up its bag of tricks and heads for the next cleanup site?
Haste makes waste: are we paying for cut-rate, shoddy military cleanup?
26), fails to mention another sticky point in the World Trade Organization's bag of tricks. A real free-trade policy would have to free people as well as products to cross borders.
Free trade for workers