Definition of secret sauce
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
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Time Traveler for secret sauce
The first known use of secret sauce was in 1906
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