AD: card game terms from 1734 (finesse, remise) (UNCLASSIFIED)

Tue Nov 6 17:06:45 UTC 2007

Classification:  UNCLASSIFIED
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject:      AD: card game terms from 1734 (finesse, remise)
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> -----------------
>

>
> finesse (n)
> antedates OED2 sense 4.b. 1862-
>
> "Emperor. I have a sad run of Luck, nothing but a Finesse can
> save me."
>   -----
>
> remise (n)
> antedates OED2 n.2 sense 3.b. 1850-
>
> "Stanislaus. I have not lost Podille, 'tis at worst but
> Remise; I have a Maradore still to play.
> "Duke of Lorain. I hold nothing but a Queen."
>
> ["Remise" here has a double meaning:  "remise" n.1 sense 1.
> is "a transfer of property".  Podille is a district in
> Poland; I have not found "Maradore" geographically anywhere.

I betcha that "maradore" is in fact "matadore" (see OED):

Forms: 16-18 matadore, 16- matador, 17 mattador, mattadore.

    A. n.    I. Senses relating to games.

    1. Cards. In ombre, skat, and other card games: the card designated
as the highest trump, and any of several cards descending in sequence
from it (the actual number varying according to the game).
  In some games, such as ombre (in which matadors originated) but not in
skat, the matadors carry powers and privileges superior to those of
ordinary trumps.

1674 C. COTTON Compl. Gamester (1680) 70 The Matadors (or killing Cards)
[in Ombre] which are the Spadillo, Mallillio, and Basto are the chief
Cards.

> At the end of the War of the Polish Succession in 1735
> Stanislaus, whose daughter was the Queen of France, agreed to
> give up Poland in exchange for Lorraine.]
> -----
> both from:
>
> The Boston Weekly News-Letter
> 1734 May 30
> p. 1, col. 2
> [From an item titled "Political Quadrille", where the various
> European rulers are playing cards. "Quadrille": another
> double meaning.]
>
> Early American Newspapers (which I have not searched; this
> was a one-off).
>
> Joel
>
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