the bottom of the bag
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
The last expedient, having emptied every other one out of one's bag, a trump card held in reserve,
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “the bottom of the bag” mean?
The last expedient, having emptied every other one out of one's bag, a trump card held in reserve,
Is “the bottom of the bag” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.