They cut for choice of seats and deal, the player cutting the highest card having the first choice, and electing whether or not to deal himself. In cutting, the cards rank as in play, and the ace is the highest. If a player exposes more than one card, he must cut again. _=DEALING.=_ The cards are thoroughly shuffled, and presented to the pone to be cut. At least five cards must be left in each packet. The cards are then dealt three at a time for the first round, two for the next, and three for the last, each player receiving eight cards. The seventeenth is then turned up for the trump. If this card is a Seven, the dealer scores 10 points for it at once. The trump card is laid on the table by itself, the remainder of the pack, which is called the _=stock=_ or _=talon=_, is slightly spread, to facilitate the process of drawing cards from it, and to be sure that none of the cards remaining in the undealt portion are exposed.
_=9.=_ _=DEALING.=_ The dealer must present the pack to the pone to be cut. At least four cards must be left in each packet. If a card is exposed in cutting, the pack must be reshuffled, and cut again. If the dealer reshuffles the pack after it has been properly cut, he loses his deal. _=10.=_ Beginning on his left, the dealer must give to each player in rotation _=two=_ cards on the first round, and _=three=_ on the second; or three to each on the first round, and two on the second. Five cards having been given to each player in this manner, the next card is turned up for the trump. The deal passes to the left.
The words, “Snip, Snap, Snorem,” may be substituted for the foregoing rhymes if time is short. _=Jig=_ is a variation of Earl of Coventry in which the next higher in sequence and suit must be played, if the player has it, until four cards are shown. The one who lays down the last of the sequence of four cards starts a fresh sequence, and the winner is the one who can first get rid of all the cards originally dealt him. All the others then pay him a counter for each card they have left. COMMIT. The etymology of this word has been quite overlooked by those who have described the game. The word is from the French, cométe, a comet; but instead of being an equivalent in English, it is simply a phonetic equivalent; Commit, instead of Comet. Tenac informs us that the game was invented during the appearance of Halley’s comet; and the idea of the game is that of a string of cards forming a tail to the one first played, a feature which is common to quite a number of the older games of cards. Commit is played by any number of persons, with a pack of fifty-one cards, the Eight of diamonds having been deleted. The players draw for positions at the table and for the first deal, and make up a pool.
|Round the green |Around the green | | |gravel. |gravill. | | 3.| -- | -- | | 4.| -- | -- | | 5.| -- | -- | | 6.| -- | -- | | 7.| -- | -- | | 8.|All fine ladies ever | -- | | |were seen. | | | 9.
Gregor). See Bull in the Park, Frog in the Middle. Fox in the Hole All the players are armed with handkerchiefs. One of the players is chosen for Fox, who has his den marked out. The Fox hops out on one leg, with his handkerchief ready to strike. The players gather round him and attack him. If he can strike one of his assailants without putting his foot to the ground from his hopping position, the player so struck is chased by the others into the den, and he then becomes the Fox for another round of the game.--Cork (Miss Keane). Halliwell (_Nursery Rhymes_, p. 228) describes the game in practically the same manner, but adds that when the Fox is coming out he says-- The Fox gives warning It s a cold and frosty morning, after which he is at liberty to hop out and use his handkerchief.
If the winner of the trick makes any declaration, the loser cannot declare. The Jack of the first penchant declared makes the _=trump suit=_ for that deal, no matter which player announces it. Trumps do not increase the value of any combination, and are only useful to win plain-suit tricks. All declarations are scored immediately, either on a marker or with counters. It will be observed that with the exception of sequences of five cards, fours, and penchants, the count is ten points for each card in the combination. Only one declaration can be made at a time. Any card laid upon the table for one declaration can be used again in future declarations, provided the player making the new announcement adds at least one fresh card from his hand. A player having a marriage and a penchant on the table cannot afterward score for the pair of Queens; but if he adds a Queen from his hand he can score the triplet. Pairs, triplets and fours are divided into two classes, the major being formed of court cards; the minor of cards below the Jack. Minor combinations cannot be scored if the adversary has upon the table cards which form a major combination of the same or greater value in the same class; that is, in class A.
The single player can forbid the use of an exposed trump for ruffing, and can demand or prevent the play of an exposed card in plain suits, provided he does not ask the adversary to revoke. If a suit is led of which an adversary has an exposed card on the table, the single player may call upon him to play his highest or lowest of that suit. If a player has announced Little Misère, and one of the adversaries leads before the others have discarded, the caller may immediately claim the pool and stakes. If any adversary of a misère player leads out of turn, or exposes a card, or plays before his proper turn in any trick, the bidder may at once claim the pool and stakes. In all such cases it is usual for the individual in fault to pay a forfeit of four red counters toward the next pool. In Misère Partout, there is no penalty for cards played in error, or led out of turn. _=PAYMENTS.=_ If the caller succeeds in winning the proposed number of tricks, he is paid by each of his adversaries according to the value of his bid, and the number of over-tricks he wins, if any. The various payments are shown in this table:-- ------------------------+------------------------------------------- Number of tricks bid by | Number actually taken by him. player.
These are dealt one at a time, and the last turned up for trump. In _=Boston=_ and in _=Cayenne=_, the cards are dealt four at a time for two rounds, and then five at a time. No trump is turned. After the cards have been dealt the player opposite the dealer presents the still pack to be cut by the player on the dealer’s left, and the top card of the portion left on the table is turned up. In _=Boston=_, _=Cayenne=_, or _=Solo Whist=_, the deal is never lost. The same dealer deals again with the same pack. 14. There must be a new deal by the same dealer:-- I. If any card except the last is faced in the pack. II.
SPOT-BLUE ” SPOT-BROWN, and WHITE ” SPOT-BLUE. _=1.=_ When coloured balls are used, the players must play progressively, as the colours are placed on the pool marking-board, the top colour being No. 1. _=2.=_ Each player has _three_ lives at starting. No. 1 places his ball on the “winning and losing” spot, No. 2 plays at No. 1, No.
3. Candles. 4. The cradle inversed, or manger. 5. Soldier s bed again, or diamonds. 6. Diamonds, or cat s eyes. 7. Fish in dish.
But apart from this, the fact that the building of bridges was accompanied by the foundation sacrifice is a more likely origin for such a widespread game which is so intimately connected with a bridge. This view is confirmed by what may be called the literary history of the game. The verses, as belonging to a game, have only recently been recorded, and how far they go back into tradition it is impossible to say. Dr. Rimbault is probably right when he states that they have been formed by many fresh additions in a long series of years, and [the game] is perhaps almost interminable when received in all its different versions (_Notes and Queries_, ii. 338). In _Chronicles of London Bridge_, pp. 152, 153, the author says he obtained the following note from a Bristol correspondent:-- About forty years ago, one moonlight night in the streets of Bristol, my attention was attracted by a dance and chorus of boys and girls, to which the words of this ballad gave measure. The breaking down of the Bridge was announced as the dancers moved round in a circle hand in hand, and the question, How shall we build it up again? was chanted by the leader while the rest stood still. This correspondent also sent the tune the children sang, which is printed in the _Chronicles of London Bridge_.
This game was played at University Coll. School, London, under the name of Kings (A. Nutt). See How many miles to Barley Bridge? King Cæsar. King o the Castle One boy is chosen as King. He mounts on any convenient height, a knoll, or dyke, or big stone, and shouts-- A m King o the Castle, An fah (who) ll ding (knock) me doon? The players make a rush at the King, and try to pull him down. A tussle goes on for a longer or a shorter time, according to the strength of the King and his skill in driving off his assailants. The boy that displaces the King becomes King, and is in his turn assaulted in the same way. The game may go on for any length of time. Another form of words is-- I m the King o the Castle, An nane can ding me doon.
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of Provincialisms_). A duck and a drake And a white penny cake. --Hampshire (Holloway s _Dict. of Provincialisms_). A duck and a drake And a penny white cake, And a skew ball. --Peacock s _Manley and Corringham Glossary_. Moor (_Suffolk Words and Phrases_) gives the names for the number of times the stone emerges, as (1) a duck; (2) a duck an a drake; if thrice, a duck an a drake an a fi epenny cake; four times is a duck an a drake an a fi epenny cake, an a penny to pah the baker. If more than four, a duck, a duck an a drake, &c., are added. These distinctions are iterated quickly to correspond in time as nearly as may be with the dips of the stone.
Cross-bars. Cross-questions. Cross Tig. Cry Notchil. Cuck-ball. Cuckoo. Cuddy and the Powks. Cudgel. Curcuddie. Curly Locks.
The cards being dealt, each player sorts his hand to see that he has the correct number, thirteen; and the player or players keeping the score should announce it at the beginning of each hand. _=STAKES.=_ In auction, the stake is a unit, so much a point. The number of points won or lost on the rubber may be only two or three, or they may run into the hundreds. The average value of a rubber at auction is about 400 points. Any much larger figure shows bad bidding. In straight bridge the average is about 180. In settling at the end of the rubber, it is usual for each losing player to pay his right-hand adversary. _=MAKING THE TRUMP.=_ In auction, the dealer begins by naming any one of the four suits, or no trumps, for any number of tricks he pleases.