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

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

That community-first approach, combined with a fierce commitment to quality, became the secret sauce in Brown Sugar Babe’s recipe for success. —Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 9 Oct. 2024

TikTok users were quick to flag that there’s some secret sauce in the Tirtir Red Cushion Foundation, with the app’s beauty lovers showing off the product’s ability to camouflage everything from breakouts to birthmarks. —Claire Sullivan, WWD, 8 Oct. 2024

What is in the Krabby Patty secret sauce at Wendy's? —Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY, 4 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined at sense 2