Meaning of secret sauce | Babel Free

Definitions

1. A sauce used in cooking or as a condiment, the ingredients of which are kept secret.
   countable, uncountable
2. Synonym of special sauce.
   countable, uncountable
3. burger sauce
   countable, uncountable
4. A secret idea or plan; a crucial element of something that makes it unique or functional.
   countable, figuratively, informal, uncountable
5. Clandestine alcohol (alcoholic beverage), especially as a secret ingredient in a recipe or in a hip flask for surreptitious tippling.
   countable, humorous, uncountable

Examples

“Congressmen gleefully wolfed down every imaginable version of the hot dog – smoked kielbasas, jumbo grillers, Big & Juicy's, kosher dogs and spiced dogs – topped with every imaginable condiment – hot mustard, sweet mustard, jalapenos, spaghetti sauce, regular relish, corn relish, maple syrup salsa and the secret sauce of Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.). ("If I told you the recipe," an aide explained, "I'd have to shoot you.")”

“It was reported that the recipes for the secret sauce and grinder sandwiches were proprietary, known only to the current president of the corporation and the former owner of the restaurant.”

“Combine the mayonnaise, relish, and tomato sauce in a small cup or bowl. This is the "secret sauce."”

“And then, there was a lot of talk about "hard truths" and "bold choices," but the interesting thing was nobody ever bothered to tell us what they were. And when Governor [Mitt] Romney finally had a chance to reveal the secret sauce, he did not offer a single new idea. It was just retreads of the same old policies we've been hearing for decades, the same policies that have been sticking it to the middle class for years.”

“Now, pilots download detailed flight plans and weather reports full of intricate graphics onto tablet devices. […] "The secret sauce is how you use the information," said Tim Campbell, the senior vice president for air operations at American Airlines. "Fundamentally, it's only a forecast and it's still weather."”

CEFR level