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Region: General | Usage example: Listening carefully is a journalist’s stock in trade.

Stock in trade

Meaning

Tools or skills one regularly uses.

Usage

Used when discussing professional habits or resources.

Origin & History

Origin notes can vary by region and source; this page gives the commonly reported explanation and usage context.

Merchants literally kept stock for sale; metaphor expanded.

Elizabethan merchants coined the idea and it persisted in commerce.

Related Idioms

All-purpose

Suited for many different uses.

Right up your alley

Exactly suited to someone's skills or tastes.

More Idioms

Break the ice

To do or say something to relieve tension or get conversation going in a social situation.

Cut to the chase

Skip ahead to the most important or exciting part of something.

The ball is in your court

It is now your turn to take action or make a decision.

Throw in the towel

To concede defeat or admit a struggle isn't worth continuing.