in one's back pocket

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English

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Prepositional phrase

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in one's back pocket

  1. (idiomatic) Ready if needed, in reserve, prepared, available for use whenever it might be advantageous.
    Synonym: in one's hip pocket
    • 2008 July 16, David Friend, “New owner to spruce up Bay”, in The Star[1], Toronto, Canada, retrieved 29 January 2019:
      There’s tremendous opportunities at The Bay in order to modify the offering in order to be attractive to a larger segment to the population. [] Having the Lord & Taylor banner in their back pocket, they’ve got an extra option there.
    • 2010 March 4, Sheelah Kolhatkar, “Eliot Spitzer's Mission Impossible”, in Time[2], retrieved 29 January 2019:
      Spitzer thinks it's an outrage that the same bankers who brought down the world economy are still firmly in place, bonuses in hand, a government guarantee in their back pocket.
    • 2010 June 18, Ben Greenman, “King of His Multigenerational Castle?”, in New York Times[3], retrieved 29 January 2019:
      I didn’t mention my son’s remark to my parents because it seemed emotionally manipulative, but I have it in my back pocket just in case.
    • 2015 June 4, Sophy Ridge, “Angela Merkel is finally having her feminist moment”, in Telegraph[4], UK, retrieved 29 January 2019:
      [S]he bosses around all the blokes in the European Union; has won three elections; and even has a physics degree in her back pocket.

See also

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