deuce

See also: Deuce

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English dewes (“two”), from Anglo-Norman, from Old French deus, from Latin duo.

Pronunciation

Noun

deuce (plural deuces)

  1. (card games) A card with two pips, one of four in a standard deck of playing cards.
    Synonym: two
    • 1948 January 1, “Deck of Cards” (track 20), in Famous Country Music Makers‎[1], performed by Tex Ritter:
      You see, Sir, when I look at the Ace it reminds me that there is but one God. The deuce reminds me that the bible is divided into two parts; the Old and New Testaments. And when I see the trey I think of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
  2. (dice games) A side of a die with two spots.
    Coordinate terms: ace, trey, cater, cinque, sice
  3. (dice games) A cast of dice totalling two.
    Coordinate terms: ace, trey, cater, cinque, sice
  5. The number two.
    1. (Canada, US, slang) A bowel movement (the event or the result).
      Synonyms: number two; see also Thesaurus:defecation
    2. (Canada, slang) A two-year prison sentence.
      • 1988 December 25, Eric Peterson, “Personal advertisement”, in Gay Community News, volume 16, number 24, page 14:
        Bisexual male, 28, doing a deuce in a segregated housing unit due to positive HIV test result, seeks correspondence from both genders.
  6. A hand gesture consisting of a raised index and middle finger, a peace sign.
  7. (tennis, table tennis, volleyball) A tied game where either player can win by scoring two consecutive points.
  8. (baseball) A curveball.
  10. (automotive, informal) Ellipsis of deuce coupe, a 1932 Ford coupe.
  11. (in the plural) Two-barrel (twin choke) carburetors (in the phrase three deuces: an arrangement on a common intake manifold).
  13. (restaurants, slang) A table seating two diners.
    Synonym: two-top
  14. (slang) The amount of two dollars or two pounds.
    • 1934, Collier's, volume 93, page 24:
      Lend me a deuce until next week, will ya?
  15. (slang, archaic) A twopence coin.
    • 2010, James Lambie, The Story of Your Life, page 139:
      It was a shame of the chalk-takers to take their fee without even scoring one little mark; but chalk-takers are inexorable and must be paid their twopence. 'Down with your deuces', was the demand after each pair of birds had competed.
  16. (euphemistic, slang) Douche.
Derived terms
Translations
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
See also
Playing cards in English · playing cards (layout · text)
ace deuce, two three, trey four, cater five, cinque six seven
eight nine ten jack, knave queen king joker

Etymology 2

Compare Late Latin dusius (“phantom, specter”); Scottish Gaelic taibhs, taibhse (“apparition, ghost”); or from Old French deus (“God”), from Latin deus (compare deity).

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /djuːs/
  • (US, Canada) IPA(key): /duːs/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -uːs

Noun

deuce (plural deuces)

  1. (epithet) The Devil, used in exclamations of confusion or anger.
    Alternative form: Deuce
  2. Synonym of devil (“something awkward or difficult”).
    We had a deuce of a time getting here.
Derived terms
Translations

References

Anagrams

This page is issued from Wiktionary. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.