gambit
noun /ˈɡæmbɪt/
/ˈɡæmbɪt/
- a thing that somebody does, or something that somebody says at the beginning of a situation or conversation, that is intended to give them some advantage
- an opening gambit (= the first thing you say)
- The opposition have dismissed promises of tax cuts as a pre-election gambit.
- His idea of a brilliant conversational gambit is ‘What’s a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?’
Extra Examples- It looks as if their gambit has paid off.
- It was a clever publicity gambit that ended in tragedy.
- The long silences were a gambit to make him talk.
- a move or moves made at the beginning of a game of chess in order to gain an advantage later
Word Originmid 17th cent.: originally gambett, from Italian gambetto, literally ‘tripping up’, from gamba ‘leg’.