gambit
gambit Lexical Profile
gambit Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A calculated action, remark, or maneuver, especially at the beginning of a negotiation, discussion, or situation, designed to gain a strategic advantage.
"Offering a modest discount right at the start was a clever negotiating gambit that won over the client."
In chess, an opening in which a player deliberately sacrifices a pawn or other piece to secure a favorable position or rapid development.
"She surprised her opponent in the tournament finals by playing the Queen's Gambit on her second move."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'gambit' with 'gamut'; a 'gambit' is a calculated opening move or maneuver, whereas a 'gamut' refers to the complete range or scope of something (as in 'running the gamut').
• Rhymes for gambit
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the mid-17th century from Italian 'gambetto', literally meaning 'a tripping up' in wrestling, derived from 'gamba' ('leg'). The Spanish chess priest Ruy López de Segura first applied the wrestling term to chess openings in 1561.