Top card

Top card crossword clue. QUICK ONE crossword at The Daily Telegraph (Sydney) on 24 May 2017. 5 letters

The answer is TRUMP

Other synonym: ACE – RIOT

Trump meaning

(in bridge, whist, and similar card games) a playing card of the suit chosen to rank above the others, which can win a trick where a card of a different suit has been led.
a valuable resource that may be used, especially as a surprise, in order to gain an advantage.
noun: trump card
Eg: “in this month General Haig decided to play his trump card: the tank”

A trump is a playing card which is elevated above its normal rank in trick-taking games. Typically, an entire suit is nominated as a trump suit; these cards then outrank all cards of plain (non-trump) suits. In other contexts, the term trump card can refer to any sort of action, authority, or policy which automatically prevails over all others.