Mr Creston Clarke played King Lear at theTabor Grand last night. All through five acts of Shakespeare's tragedy he played the king as though under momentary apprehension that someone else was about to play the ace.

-Field, Eugene
c.1880   Attributed review in the Denver Post.

There was always, he thought, this pleasure ahead of him, an ace of joy up his sleeve so he could say you can do anything to me, take everything away, put me in prison, but I will know [her] when we are old.

-Ondaatje, (Philip) Michael
  In the Skin of a Lion,'Remorse'.