gambit
noun
[ ˈɡambɪt ]
• an act or remark that is calculated to gain an advantage, especially at the outset of a situation.
• "his resignation was a tactical gambit"
Similar:
stratagem,
machination,
scheme,
plan,
tactic,
manoeuvre,
move,
course of action,
line of action,
device,
operation,
ruse,
trick,
ploy,
artifice,
wheeze,
wangle,
• (in chess) an opening move in which a player makes a sacrifice, typically of a pawn, for the sake of a compensating advantage.
• "he tried the dubious Budapest gambit"
Origin:
mid 17th century: originally gambett, from Italian gambetto, literally ‘tripping up’, from gamba ‘leg’.
