gambit Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun an opening remark intended to secure an advantage for the speaker
    ploy.
  2. noun a maneuver in a game or conversation
    ploy; stratagem.
  3. noun a chess move early in the game in which the player sacrifices minor pieces in order to obtain an advantageous position

WordNet

Gam"bit noun
Etymology
F. gambit, cf. It. gambitto gambit, a tripping up. See Gambol, n.
Definitions
  1. (Chess Playing) A mode of opening the game, in which a pawn is sacrificed to gain an attacking position. Hence, Fig. any stratagem; in conversation, a remark, often prepared in advance, calculated to provoke discussion, amuse, or make a point = a conversational gambit

Webster 1913