Follow-up on sluff - now "hearts"

[Joel S. Berson]

At 8/9/2011 02:12 PM, Benjamin Barrett wrote:

>I must have learned that from my grandmother, since she was the one
>we usually played hearts and other card games with. She was white
>and born in Seattle in 1912 or 1913.
>
>As a kid, I understood this to mean something like "be sneaky and
>get rid of the card" since the pass at the start of the game allows
>players to set themselves up to be able to sluff.

I used to play hearts, but I don't recall hearing "slough/sluff" with
it (New York/New Engand).  Dangerous cards, such as high hearts,
might be "passed" or "passed off" to one's neighbor.  And during
play, hears were not passively sluffed, but rather forcefully and
venomously imposed on the trick-winner.  (Nothing to do with
snakeskin, however.)

Joel

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