secret sauce

noun

1

: a sauce that adds an important element to a dish and that has ingredients which are typically kept secret

A frank of beef, pork, and veal … is split lengthwise, coated with secret sauce, and cooked on a grill.

—Jane and Michael Stern

called also special sauce

2

: an element, quality, ability, or practice that makes something or someone successful or distinctive

If leadership has a secret sauce, it may well be humility. A humble boss understands that there are things he doesn't know.

—The Economist

called also special sauce

Examples of secret sauce in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The secret sauce, McWilliams shares, is a blend of tamari, Worcester sauce, lime juice, and a mix of spices. —The Editors, Outside Online, 1 Nov. 2024

Here’s the secret sauce: speak the language of leadership. —Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 24 Oct. 2024

This is kept hidden from view for various reasons, including that maybe some could ferret out the secret sauce of o1 by cunningly examining the true chain-of-thought at play. —Lance Eliot, Forbes, 26 Sep. 2024

Biotin gives strands a huge strength boost, improving texture and reducing breakage for a fuller look, while hydrolyzed collagen is the secret sauce for adding volume and bounce by enhancing your hair's elasticity. —Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 25 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined at sense 2