ACES AND OTHER CARDS.
IT would seem that the nameace,as,asso, or at any rate some combination of letters which convey about the same sound, is given to the first card in the pack in nearly all countries where they are used. Mr. Chatto says, according to Père Daniel, the Ace is the Latinas, meaning “a piece of money, coin, riches;” while Bullet derives it from the Celtic, and says that it means “origin, source, beginning, or first.” A French writer of the sixteenth century, supposed to be Charles Stephens, in a work entitled “Paradoxes,” printed at Paris, 1553, says that the “Ace or Az ought to be calledNars, a word which in German signifies a ‘fool.’” The German word which he alludes to, continues Mr. Chatto, “is just as likely to have been the origin of Deuce as of Ace. It has also been supposed that the term ‘ace’ was derived from a Greek word signifying ‘one.’ But as this also signified an ‘ass,’ ithas been conjectured that the Ace of Cards and of Dice were so called not as a designation of unity, but as signifying an ass or a fool. Those who entertain the latter opinion are said by Hyde to be asses themselves.”
Aces have had soubriquets or nicknames like many other cards; but these have gained favour only in certain localities. In one part of England they are calledTib; but the origin and meaning of this name is unknown. The Ace of Diamonds is commonly called theEarl of Corkin Ireland, “because it is the worst Ace and the poorest card in the pack, and he is the poorest nobleman in the country.” In Spain the Ace of Oros is calledLa Borgne, or the “one-eyed.”
“There is luck under a black Deuce,” is a common saying among card-players. “But not if you touch it with your elbow,” is the reply; and when it is turned up as a trump, superstitious people place their elbow upon it, and quite a struggle goes on between the dealer and the opponent as to which one shall do so first. It is more than probable that the wordsDeuceandTraymay have been derived from the SpanishDosandTres, which signify “two” and “three” in that language. In someGerman games theDausis the master card, and takes all the others. Mr. Chatto says: “The Deuce of cards, it may be observed, has no connection with the termdeuce, as used in the familiar expression ‘To play the deuce,’ in which it is synonymous withdevil, and is of northern origin. In some parts of the country the Deuce, although lower in value, is considered to be a more fortunate card than the Tray; and ‘There’s luck in the Deuce, but none in the Tray,’ is a frequent expression among old card-players who like to enliven the game with an occasional remark as they lay down the cards.”
In Northumberland, England, the four of Hearts at Whist is sometimes calledHob Collingwood, and is considered by old ladies an unlucky card. The four of Clubs is called by sailorsthe Devil’s Bedposts, and the four of Spades is named by othersNed Stokes. The Tray of Oros, in Spain, is calledLe Seigneur. The Tray of Cups isLa Dame; the Deuce isLa Vache. The nines of Cups and of Money are theGreat and Little Nines, and the Ace of Clubs isLe Serpent. In Ireland the six of Hearts is known asGrace’s Card, and is said to have acquired that namefrom the following circumstance: “A gentleman of the name of Grace being solicited with promises of royal favour to espouse the cause of William the Third, gave the following answer written on the back of the six of Hearts, to an emissary of Marshal Schomberg, who had been commissioned to make the offer to him: ‘Tell your master I despise his offer, and that honour and conscience are dearer to a gentleman than all the wealth and titles a prince can bestow.’”
“The nine of Diamonds,” continues Mr. Chatto, “is frequently called theCurse of Scotland, and some suppose on account of the tradition that the Duke of Cumberland wrote his sanguinary order on it after the battle of Culloden. It was, however, known by this name many years before this battle, as it is stated that about 1715 Lord Justice Clerk Ormistone, who had been zealous in suppressing the rebellion became universally hated in Scotland, where they called him ‘the curse of Scotland;’ and when ladies played the nine of Diamonds (commonly called the Curse of Scotland), they called it Justice Clark.” Other explanations are offered to account for this name, some of them being found in heraldic devices, asnine diamonds or lozenges are displayed in the arms of various distinguished men notorious for their hatred and persecution of that country. The riddle on the subject says: “Question.Pray why is the nine of Diamonds called the Curse of Scotland?Answer.Because the crown of Scotland had but nine diamonds in it, and they were never able to get a tenth.” The nine of Diamonds is the card designated to represent Pope Joan in the game known by her name. The fours have been calledTidely, and the fives and sixesTowserandTumbler.
The court cards have not escaped these soubriquets. In France the Knaves or Valets were sometimes calledles Fous, and in Germany the horsemen or chevaliers who took the place of the Queens were designatedOber. In certain games the Knave of Clubs is calledPam; and in Euchre Knaves are calledRightandLeft Bower, as they happen to fall with trumps. The Queen of Clubs has been calledQueen Bess.
It is mentioned in “Court Life below Stairs,” by Molloy, as a curious feature of the time, and showing how far presumptuous gamblers forgot their manners and their loyalty, that during oneof the attacks of lunacy suffered by the King, George the Third, great abuse of the King and Queen, and of Pitt was indulged in without reserve at Brook’s Club; and a cant phrase used at the whist-table was, “I play the lunatic,” meaning the King.