ace

I. n

1.

a best friend or good person. Used by males to other males, usually as a greeting or a term of endearment. In this sense the term probably spread from black American street gangs in the 1950s to working-class whites in the USA, Australia and, to a lesser extent, Britain.

► Hey, ace!

2.

Australian

the anus.

By association with arse and the black mark on a playing card.

II. ace out

vb

American

1.

to outmanoeuvre, outwit or defeat

► 'I had it all figured, but those guys aced me!' (The A Team, US TV series, 1985)

2.

to succeed, win or score very highly

► She aced / aced out the test.

III. aces

adj

excellent, first class. Used extensively since the late 1950s in the USA, since the mid-1960s in Australia, and by the 1970s, especially by teenagers, in Brit-ain. The origin of the term is obviously in the highest value playing card, the meaning now having been extended from 'best' to 'smartest', 'cleverest', etc.

► an ace car

► That film was really ace.

► She's aces!