Have something up your sleeve

Definition

To have a secret plan, idea, or advantage that you haven't revealed yet; to keep something in reserve.

Etymology

This phrase originated in the 16th century when clothing had very wide sleeves that could conceal objects. Magicians and card cheats would literally hide cards or tricks up their sleeves, and the expression evolved to mean any concealed advantage or secret plan.

Kelly Says

The phrase captures the theatrical nature of strategic thinking - like a magician, someone with something 'up their sleeve' controls the timing of revelation for maximum impact. Interestingly, modern clothing rarely has sleeves large enough to hide anything, yet the metaphor persists because it perfectly describes the feeling of having a hidden advantage.

Translations

AMአማርኛ
እንደ አንድ አይነት አስለፈ
en-de an-dit a-y-net a-sle-fe
ARالعربية
يُخفي شيئًا تحت سLEEVE
yu-khe-fi she-i-yan tah-ta sleev
BNবাংলা
হাতের তোপের মধ্যে কিছু লুকিয়ে রাখা
ha-te-r to-per me-dhye ki-shhu luk-i-ye ra-kha
CACatalà
tenir alguna cosa en la manga
ten-ir al-gun-a co-sa en la man-ga
CSČeština
mít něco v rukávu
mit no-co v ru-ka-vu
DADansk
have noget op i ærmet
have no-get op i a-r-met
DEDeutsch
etwas im Ärmel haben
et-was im ar-mel ha-ben
ELΕλληνικά
να κρύβεις κάτι
na kry-veis ka-ti
ESEspañol
tener algo bajo la manga
ten-er al-go ba-ho la man-ga
FAفارسی
چیزی را در آستین پنهان کند
che-zi ra dar a-s-tin pe-ha-n kon-d
FISuomi
olla jotain hiippaamassa
olla jo-tain hi-ip-pa-amassa
FRFrançais
avoir quelque chose sous le coude
avwa kel-kwe-so so-le ku-d
GUGU
કાંઠે કોઈ ચીજ છુપાવવી
ka-n-the koi cheej ch-hu-pa-va-vi
HAHA
yiyine tunanin
yi-yi-ne to-na-nin
HEעברית
להסתיר משהו
le-ha-se-tir mis-ho
HIहिन्दी
कपड़े में कुछ छिपाना
kap-de mein kuchh chi-pa-na
HUMagyar
van valami a zsebében
van va-mi a zse-bé-ben
IDBahasa Indonesia
memiliki sesuatu di lengan baju
me-miliki se-suatu di lengan baju
IGIG
gbagbuo
gba-gbuo
ITItaliano
avere qualcosa in tasca
a-ve-re quel-che-so in tas-ca
JA日本語
隠し玉を持っている
ka-shi-dama o motte-iru
KKKK
орындау
o-ry-n-dau
KMKM
បានអ្វីខ្លី
ba-an a-v-i kh-li
KO한국어
소매에 숨겨진 무언가가 있다
so-mae-e sum-gye-jin mu-eon-ga-ga it-da
MRMR
पोशाखात्मक काहीतरी लपवून ठेवा
po-sha-kha-t-mak ka-hi-tari la-pu-un the-va
MSBahasa Melayu
menyimpan sesuatu di lengan baju
me-nyim-pan se-su-atu di lengan baju
MYမြန်မာ
တစ်ခု ပိတ်ထား
tit-khoo pe-it-tha-ra
NLNederlands
iets in de mouw hebben
iets in de mouw he-ben
NONorsk
ha noe opp i ermet
ha noe opp i er-met
PAPA
ਕੱਪੜੇ 'ਚ ਕੁਝ છिपਾ
ka-ppar-e 'ch ku-jch chip-a
PLPolski
mieć coś w rękawie
mjeć cos w rę-ka-wie
PTPortuguês
ter algo na manga
ter al-go na man-ga
RORomână
a avea ceva ascuns în maneca
a a-ve-a ce-va as-kuns in man-e-ca
RUРусский
иметь что-то в рукаве
i-met chto-to v ruk-ave
SVSvenska
ha något upp i ärmarna
ha no-got upp i ar-mar-na
SWKiswahili
kuwa na kitu cha kujificha
ku-wa na ki-tu cha ku-ji-fi-cha
TAதமிழ்
கைப்பையில் ஏதாவது மறைக்க
kai-pai-yil e-da-avathu ma-rai-kka
TEతెలుగు
చొక్కాలో ఏదైనా దాచుకోవాలి
cho-kka-lo e-da-i-na da-chu-ko-va-li
THไทย
มีอะไรซ่อนไว้
mi a-rai so-n wai
TLTL
mayroon ng isang bagay na itinago
ma-yro-on ng isang ba-gay na i-ta-go
TRTürkçe
kolunda bir şeyler saklamak
kol-un-da bir şey-ler sa-k-lamak
UKУкраїнська
мати щось у рукаві
ma-ty shcho-s u ruk-a-vi
URاردو
کمر میں کوئی چیز چھپائی ہو
kam-ar mein koi cheez ch-h-pai ho
VITiếng Việt
có điều gì đó ẩn giấu trong tay áo
co dieu gi do an gi-au trong tay ao
YOYO
ni gbogbo
ni gbogbo
ZH中文
袖口里藏着什么
xiu kou li cang zhe shen-me
ZUZU
ukuthi ngathi
oo-koo-thee ng-a-thee

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