wild card

Universal Words noun 1 (in card games) a card that has no value of its own and takes the value of any card that the player chooses 2 (sport) an opportunity for sb to play in a competition when they have not qualified in the usual way; a player who enters a competition in this way: He was given a wild card for the tournament. * She was beaten in the semi-finals by wild card Louise Smith. * a wild-card entry / place 3 (computing) a symbol that has no meaning of its own and can represent any letter: An asterisk is commonly used as a wild card. * a wild-card search 4 a person or thing whose behaviour or effect is difficult to predict: The Nationalist party is the wild card in the election.