deucen.¹

Brit.

/djuːs/,

/dʒuːs/, U.S.

/d(j)us/

Forms: Middle English–1500s deux, 1500s dewse, deuis, 1500s–1600s dewce, deuse, 1600s dews, deus, 1600s–1800s duce, 1500s– deuce.

Etymology: < French deux, Old French deus two. The -ce regularly represents earlier -s, as in peace, pence, defence, etc.

1. The two at dice or cards.

a. Dice. That side of the die that is marked with two pips or spots; a throw which turns up this side.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > games of chance > dice-playing > [noun] > throw > (throw of) specific number

ace?a1300

cinquec1386

sicec1386

sice cinquec1386

treyc1386

quernc1450

ames-acec1460

cater-trey?a1500

twoa1500

cater1519

deuce1519

quatrec1540

trey-acea1556

sice-ace1594

four1599

size-point1648

trey-deuce1680

boxcar1909

trey-point-

1519 W. Horman Vulgaria xxxii. f. 280^v Deuce and synke were nat in the olde dyce.

1598 J. Florio Worlde of Wordes Two dewses at dice.

1605 W. Camden Remaines i. 148 Two in a garret casting Dews at dice.

a1680 S. Butler Genuine Remains (1759) I. 81 Or settling it in Trust to Uses, Out of his Pow'r, on Trays and Deuses.

a1777 S. Foote Nabob (1778) ii. 28 Tray, ace, or two deuces.

b. Cards. That card of any suit which is marked with two spots.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > card or cards > [noun] > number card > others

twoa1500

cater1519

single ten1595

ten1595

eight1598

four1599

nine1599

six1599

seven1656

deuce1674

five1674

trey1680

spot1830

four-spot1878

two-spot1885

five-spot1913

ten-spot ladybird-

1674 C. Cotton Compl. Gamester xvi. 135 They..carry about..Treys, Deuces, Aces, &c. in their pockets.

1775 Gough in Archaeologia (1787) 8 154 On the duce of acorns besides the card-maker's arms is [etc.].

1853 E. Bulwer-Lytton My Novel I. i. xii. 79 My partner has turned up a deuce—deuce of hearts.

2. Real Tennis and Tennis. [= Italian a due, French à deux de jeu.] A term denoting that the two sides have each gained three points (called 40) in a game (or five games in a set), in which case two successive points (or games) must be gained in order to win the game (or set). (See advantage n. 5.) Also attributive deuce-game n. (see quot. 1897). deuce-set n. a set in which the sides are level, each having won five or more games.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > racket games > real tennis > [noun] > score

deuce1598

advantage1775

mini-break1981

1598 J. Florio Worlde of Wordes A dewce, at tennice play.

1816 Encycl. Perthensis (ed. 2) XXII. 221 Instead of calling it 40 at all, it is called deuce.

1878 J. Marshall Ann. Tennis 134 Scaino [in 1555] then tells his readers that [the scoring is] ‘at two (a due)’ as it is called when the game is reduced or ‘set’ to two strokes to be gained, in order to win it. The term..a due is still preserved in the French form à deux, corrupted in English into deuce.

1882 Daily Tel. 18 July 2 The game ran to 30 all, and then deuce was called twice.

1885 Pall Mall Gaz. 12 May 11/1 The concluding game was so close that deuce and advantage were repeatedly called, and the set more than once hung on a single difficult stroke.

1886 Cassell's Family Mag. Oct. 704/2 It also scores back to deuce points and deuce games.

1897 Earl of Suffolk et al. Encycl. Sport I. 621/2 Deuce-game, the game won, which makes the score in games level when each side has won more than five.

1908 Westm. Gaz. 16 Nov. 14/1 Losing the first game after a deuce set.

1969 New Yorker 14 June 67/1 Games are five-all. It is a so-called deuce set.

†3. Music. The interval of a second. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > pitch > interval > [noun] > tone

whole note1574

second1597

tone1609

whole tone1636

note1762

deuce1829

1829 R. H. Froude Remains (1838) I. 237 I also can acknowledge a discord in a deuce and a seventh.

4. slang. Twopence.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > coins collective > English coins > [noun] > coin of 2d

twopencec1450

half-groat1451

penny of twopence1477

twopenny piece1607

deuce1699

twopenny1736

demi-groata1763

1699 B. E. New Dict. Canting Crew A Duce, two Pence.

1851 H. Mayhew London Labour I. 256/2 Give him a deuce..and stall him off.

Compounds

deuce-ace n. two and one (i.e. a throw that turns up deuce with one die and ace with the other); hence, a poor throw, bad luck, mean estate, the lower class (cf. German daus es, at Daus in Grimm).

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > social class > the common people > low rank or condition > [noun]

lowness?c1225

unnobleyc1384

noughtc1400

ignoblenessc1450

innoblessea1470

deuce-ace1481

ignobility1483

dunghill1537

vilityc1550

baseness1552

humility1623

non-class1973

1481 W. Caxton tr. Hist. Reynard Fox (1970) 45 He was a pylgrym of deux aas [Du. een pellegrym van doys aes].

1596 Gosson in W. C. Hazlitt Remains Early Pop. Poetry Eng. IV. 254 Deuse-ace fals still to be their chance.

1598 W. Shakespeare Love's Labour's Lost i. ii. 46 You know how much the grosse summe of deus-ace amountes to..Which the base vulgar do call three.

1609 Euerie Woman in her Humor sig. F4^v Twere better by thrice deuce-ace in a weeke [etc.].

1658 J. Jones tr. Ovid Invective against Ibis 75 Deuce Ace cannot pay scot and lot, and Sice Sink will not pay: Be it known to all, what payments fall must light on Cater Tray [i.e. the middle classes].

1766 O. Goldsmith Vicar of Wakefield I. ii. 13 I threw deuce ace five times running.

1894 F. S. Ellis Reynard the Fox 336 That which is likened to deuce ace Hath in esteem the lowest place.

deuce-point n. the second point from either end of the board at backgammon.

ΚΠ

1778 T. Jones Hoyle's Games Improved 179 Suppose, that 14 of his Men are placed upon his Adversary's Ace Point, and one Man upon his Adversary's Deuce Point.

Draft additions October 2011

deuce court n. Tennis the receiver's right-hand service court, into which the ball is served when the score of a game is at deuce; cf. advantage court n. at advantage n. Compounds.

ΚΠ

1896 R. W. Chambers Maker of Moons 132 ‘Play—it's deuce you know.’ ‘I know,’ I replied, and sent a merciless ball shooting across her deuce court.

1953 N.Y. Times 30 Aug. v. 9/2 The Atlanta youth had scored five times with his service, each time in the deuce court.

2000 D. Diamond Trophy Wife (2001) 12 ‘Out,’ Mary yelled and walked back to the deuce court.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1895; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

deucen.²

Brit.

/djuːs/,

/dʒuːs/, U.S.

/d(j)us/

Forms: Also 1600s dewce, 1600s–1700s deuse, 1600s–1800s duce, 1700s dewse, 1800s dialect doose.

Etymology: Probably < Low German in 17th cent.: compare German daus, Low German duus, used in precisely the same way, in the exclamatory der daus! was der daus…!Low German de duus! wat de duus!The derivation of German daus is disputed: but there is reason to think that it is the same word as das daus = the deuce n.¹ at dice (where ‘two’ is the lowest and most unlucky throw), the gender being changed when the gambler's exclamation of vexation ‘the deuce!’ was metamorphosed into a personal expletive. A parallel development is known in Danish where the plural noun pokker ‘pocks, pox’, has come to be felt as a singular, and to be taken for ‘the devil’, from its use in imprecations such as Gid pokker havde det! Would that a pox had that!, Pokker staa i det! A pox on that! Hvad pokker er det? What the pox (devil) is that? (See pox n.) (On other conjectural identifications see Rev. A. L. Mayhew in Academy 30 Jan. 1892, p. 111.)

colloquial or slang.

a. Bad luck, plague, mischief; in imprecations and exclamations, as a deuce on him!, a deuce of his cane!

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > malediction > oaths > [interjection] > oaths other than religious or obscene > imprecations

woeOE

dahetc1290

confoundc1330

foul (also shame) fall ——c1330

sorrow on——c1330

in the wanianda1352

wildfirea1375

evil theedomc1386

a pestilence on (also upon)c1390

woe betide you (also him, her, etc.)c1390

maldathaita1400

murrainc1400

out ona1415

in the wild waning worldc1485

vengeance?a1500

in a wanion1549

with a wanion1549

woe worth1553

a plague on——a1566

with a wanion to?c1570

with a wanyand1570

bot1584

maugre1590

poxa1592

death1593

rot1594

rot on1595

cancro1597

pax1604

pize on (also upon)1605

vild1605

peascod1606

cargo1607

confusion1608

perditiona1616

(a) pest upon1632

deuce1651

stap my vitals1697

strike me blind, dumb, lucky (if, but—)1697

stop my vitals1699

split me (or my windpipe)1700

rabbit1701

consume1756

capot me!1760

nick me!1760

weary set1788

rats1816

bad cess to1859

curse1885

hanged1887

buggeration1964

1651 T. Randolph et al. Hey for Honesty i. i. 1/1 But a deuce on him, it does not seem so.

1677 T. Otway Cheats of Scapin iii. i, in Titus & Berenice sig. I3^v A dewce on't.

a1679 Earl of Orrery Guzman (1693) ii Who, a duce, are those two fellows?

1709 S. Centlivre Busie Body iii. iii. 32 A Duce of his Cane.

1719 T. D'Urfey Wit & Mirth II. 66 A-duce take their Chat.

a1721 M. Prior Thief & Cordelier in Poems What a duce dost thou ayl?

1796 R. Burns Let. 7 July (2003) II. 385 The deuce of the matter is this; when an Excise-man is off duty, his salary is reduced.

b. The personification or spirit of mischief, the devil. Originally, in exclamatory and interjectional phrases; often as a mere expression of impatience or emphasis: as, what the (†what a) deuce?, so who, how, where, when the deuce?, (the) deuce take it!, the deuce is in it! Later, in other phrases parallel to those under devil n.: to play the deuce (with), the deuce and all, the deuce to pay, a deuce of a mess, etc.In the quotations under a (to which the earliest instances belong), ‘plague’ or ‘mischief’ is evidently the sense: cf. the parallel and earlier ‘A mischief (a pox, or a plague) on him!’ ‘Mischief (or plague) take you!’ ‘What a mischief (pox, plague)!’ This meaning is also possible in those under b¹: cf. the parallel ‘What the mischief (or the plague)!’ But mischief was personified already before 1700, and ‘the Mischief’ was in the late 18th cent. a frequent euphemism for ‘the devil’; that deuce was already taken in this sense in 1708 is evident from Motteux's use of it as = French diantre, in b². In the other quotations in the same group, ‘deuce’ plainly takes the place of ‘devil’ in well-known phrases; but such clearly personified uses as ‘the deuce knows’, ‘to go to the deuce’, appear late.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the supernatural > deity > a devil > the Devil or Satan > [noun]

devileOE

Beelzebubc950

the foul ghosteOE

SatanOE

warlockOE

SatanasOE

worsea1200

unwinea1225

wondc1250

quedea1275

pucka1300

serpenta1300

dragon1340

shrew1362

Apollyon1382

the god of this worldc1384

Mahoundc1400

leviathan1412

worsta1425

old enemyc1449

Ruffin1567

dismal1570

Plotcocka1578

the Wicked One1582

goodman1603

Mahu1603

foul thief1609

somebody1609

legiona1616

Lord of Flies1622

walliman1629

shaitan1638

Old Nicka1643

Nick1647

unsel?1675

old gentleman1681

old boy1692

the gentleman in black1693

deuce1694

Black Spy1699

the vicious one1713

worricow1719

Old Roger1725

Lord of the Flies1727

Simmie1728

Old Scratch1734

Old Harry1777

Old Poker1784

Auld Hornie1786

old (auld), ill thief1789

old one1790

little-good1821

Tom Walker1833

bogy1840

diabolarch1845

Old Ned1859

iniquity1899

1694 W. Congreve Double-dealer i. i. 2 The Deuce take me if there were three good things said.

1733 J. Swift Epist. to Lady 11 Deuce is in you, Mr. Dean.

1757 T. Smollett Reprisal i. viii What the deuce are you afraid of?

1776 S. J. Pratt Pupil of Pleasure II. 34 How the duce came she to marry?

1827 B. Disraeli Vivian Grey III. v. xii. 230 What the deuce is the matter with the man?

1861 T. Hughes Tom Brown at Oxf. I. iii. 55 How the deuce did you get by the lodge, Joe?

1708 P. A. Motteux Wks. F. Rabelais v. xix The Dewse take 'em [Fr. Mais quoy diantre!]; (they flatter the Devil here, and smoothifie his Name, quoth Panurge).1762 L. Sterne Life Tristram Shandy V. xxviii. 99 There has been..the duce and all to do.1763 G. Colman Deuce is in Him Prol. If our author don't produce Some character that plays the deuce; If there's no frolick, sense, or whim, Retort! and play the dev'l with him!1793 W. Cowper Let. 29 Mar. (1984) IV. 316 If the Critics still grumble, I shall say the very deuce is in them.1824 Ld. Byron Don Juan: Canto XV lvii. 33 He had that kind of fame Which sometimes plays the deuce with womankind.1830 Countess Granville Let. 9 Nov. (1894) II. 65 An unpopular one..would have been the deuce to pay.1840 W. M. Thackeray Catherine ii Love is a bodily infirmity..which breaks out the deuce knows how or why.1846 C. Dickens Dombey & Son (1848) ii. 9 The child is..Going to the very Deuce.1851 D. G. Mitchell Fresh Gleanings 19 Tearing away at a deuce of a pace.a1860 G. P. Morris Poems (ed. 15) 251 Here'll be the deuce to pay!1861 E. D. Cook Paul Foster's Daughter iii A gipsy, rollicking, deuce-may-care sort of bird.1861 W. M. Thackeray Four Georges iv. 181 To lead him yet farther on the road to the deuce.

c. As an expression of incredulous surprise; also, as an emphatic negative, as in (the) deuce a bit!, etc. (Cf. plague n., sorrow n., the devil a bit at devil n. Phrases 1e(b), fiend n.)

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > expectation > surprise, unexpectedness > exclamation of surprise [interjection]

whatOE

well, wellOE

avoyc1300

ouc1300

ay1340

lorda1393

ahaa1400

hillaa1400

whannowc1450

wow1513

why?1520

heydaya1529

ah1538

ah me!a1547

fore me!a1547

o me!a1547

what the (also a) goodyear1570

precious coals1576

Lord have mercy (on us)1581

good heavens1588

whau1589

coads1590

ay me!1591

my stars!a1593

Gods me1595

law1598

Godso1600

to go out1600

coads-nigs1608

for mercy!a1616

good stars!1615

mercy on us (also me, etc.)!a1616

gramercy1617

goodness1623

what next?1662

mon Dieu1665

heugh1668

criminy1681

Lawd1696

the dickens1697

(God, etc.) bless my heart1704

alackaday1705

(for) mercy's sake!1707

my1707

deuce1710

gracious1712

goodly and gracious1713

my word1722

my stars and garters!1758

lawka1774

losha1779

Lord bless me (also you, us, etc.)1784

great guns!1795

mein Gott1795

Dear me!1805

fancy1813

well, I'm sure!1815

massy1817

Dear, dear!1818

to get off1818

laws1824

Mamma mia1824

by crikey1826

wisha1826

alleleu1829

crackey1830

Madonna mia1830

indeed1834

to go on1835

snakes1839

Jerusalem1840

sapristi1840

oh my days1841

tear and ages1841

what (why, etc.) in time?1844

sakes alive!1846

gee willikers1847

to get away1847

well, to be sure!1847

gee1851

Great Scott1852

holy mackerel!1855

doggone1857

lawsy1868

my wig(s)!1871

gee whiz1872

crimes1874

yoicks1881

Christmas1882

hully gee1895

'ullo1895

my hat!1899

good (also great) grief!1900

strike me pink!1902

oo-er1909

what do you know?1909

cripes1910

coo1911

zowiec1913

can you tie that?1918

hot diggety1924

yeow1924

ziggety1924

stone (or stiffen) the crows1930

hullo1931

tiens1932

whammo1932

po po po1936

how about that?1939

hallo1942

brother1945

tie that!1948

surprise1953

wowee1963

yikes1971

never1974

to sod off1976

whee1978

mercy1986

yipes1989

1710–11 J. Swift Lett. (1767) III. 89 We were to dine at Mr. Harley's alone, about some business of importance..but the deuce a bit, the company staid, and more came.

1712 J. Swift Jrnl. to Stella 22 Mar. (1948) II. 519 The D—— he is! marryed to that Vengence!

1728 C. Cibber Vanbrugh's Provok'd Husband i. i. 12 Man. He has carried his Election...L. Town. The Duce! what! for—for—.

a1777 S. Foote Cozeners (1778) ii. 48 Me? ha, ha, ha! the deuce a bit.

1789 H. L. Piozzi Observ. Journey France II. 26 At Florence and Milan, the deuce a Neapolitan could he find.

1805 H. Lee Canterbury Tales V. 56 The old lady glanced at her..but deuce a bit did she desire her to sit down.

1831 Examiner 354/1 ‘Lord Eldon was not one of those’..The deuce he's not!

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1895; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	deuce
释义	deucen.¹ Brit. /djuːs/, /dʒuːs/, U.S. /d(j)us/ Forms: Middle English–1500s deux, 1500s dewse, deuis, 1500s–1600s dewce, deuse, 1600s dews, deus, 1600s–1800s duce, 1500s– deuce. Etymology: < French deux, Old French deus two. The -ce regularly represents earlier -s, as in peace, pence, defence, etc. 1. The two at dice or cards. a. Dice. That side of the die that is marked with two pips or spots; a throw which turns up this side. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > games of chance > dice-playing > [noun] > throw > (throw of) specific number ace?a1300 cinquec1386 sicec1386 sice cinquec1386 treyc1386 quernc1450 ames-acec1460 cater-trey?a1500 twoa1500 cater1519 deuce1519 quatrec1540 trey-acea1556 sice-ace1594 four1599 size-point1648 trey-deuce1680 boxcar1909 trey-point- 1519 W. Horman Vulgaria xxxii. f. 280^v Deuce and synke were nat in the olde dyce. 1598 J. Florio Worlde of Wordes Two dewses at dice. 1605 W. Camden Remaines i. 148 Two in a garret casting Dews at dice. a1680 S. Butler Genuine Remains (1759) I. 81 Or settling it in Trust to Uses, Out of his Pow'r, on Trays and Deuses. a1777 S. Foote Nabob (1778) ii. 28 Tray, ace, or two deuces. b. Cards. That card of any suit which is marked with two spots. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > card or cards > [noun] > number card > others twoa1500 cater1519 single ten1595 ten1595 eight1598 four1599 nine1599 six1599 seven1656 deuce1674 five1674 trey1680 spot1830 four-spot1878 two-spot1885 five-spot1913 ten-spot ladybird- 1674 C. Cotton Compl. Gamester xvi. 135 They..carry about..Treys, Deuces, Aces, &c. in their pockets. 1775 Gough in Archaeologia (1787) 8 154 On the duce of acorns besides the card-maker's arms is [etc.]. 1853 E. Bulwer-Lytton My Novel I. i. xii. 79 My partner has turned up a deuce—deuce of hearts. 2. Real Tennis and Tennis. [= Italian a due, French à deux de jeu.] A term denoting that the two sides have each gained three points (called 40) in a game (or five games in a set), in which case two successive points (or games) must be gained in order to win the game (or set). (See advantage n. 5.) Also attributive deuce-game n. (see quot. 1897). deuce-set n. a set in which the sides are level, each having won five or more games. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > racket games > real tennis > [noun] > score deuce1598 advantage1775 mini-break1981 1598 J. Florio Worlde of Wordes A dewce, at tennice play. 1816 Encycl. Perthensis (ed. 2) XXII. 221 Instead of calling it 40 at all, it is called deuce. 1878 J. Marshall Ann. Tennis 134 Scaino [in 1555] then tells his readers that [the scoring is] ‘at two (a due)’ as it is called when the game is reduced or ‘set’ to two strokes to be gained, in order to win it. The term..a due is still preserved in the French form à deux, corrupted in English into deuce. 1882 Daily Tel. 18 July 2 The game ran to 30 all, and then deuce was called twice. 1885 Pall Mall Gaz. 12 May 11/1 The concluding game was so close that deuce and advantage were repeatedly called, and the set more than once hung on a single difficult stroke. 1886 Cassell's Family Mag. Oct. 704/2 It also scores back to deuce points and deuce games. 1897 Earl of Suffolk et al. Encycl. Sport I. 621/2 Deuce-game, the game won, which makes the score in games level when each side has won more than five. 1908 Westm. Gaz. 16 Nov. 14/1 Losing the first game after a deuce set. 1969 New Yorker 14 June 67/1 Games are five-all. It is a so-called deuce set. †3. Music. The interval of a second. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > pitch > interval > [noun] > tone whole note1574 second1597 tone1609 whole tone1636 note1762 deuce1829 1829 R. H. Froude Remains (1838) I. 237 I also can acknowledge a discord in a deuce and a seventh. 4. slang. Twopence. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > coins collective > English coins > [noun] > coin of 2d twopencec1450 half-groat1451 penny of twopence1477 twopenny piece1607 deuce1699 twopenny1736 demi-groata1763 1699 B. E. New Dict. Canting Crew A Duce, two Pence. 1851 H. Mayhew London Labour I. 256/2 Give him a deuce..and stall him off. Compounds deuce-ace n. two and one (i.e. a throw that turns up deuce with one die and ace with the other); hence, a poor throw, bad luck, mean estate, the lower class (cf. German daus es, at Daus in Grimm). ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > social class > the common people > low rank or condition > [noun] lowness?c1225 unnobleyc1384 noughtc1400 ignoblenessc1450 innoblessea1470 deuce-ace1481 ignobility1483 dunghill1537 vilityc1550 baseness1552 humility1623 non-class1973 1481 W. Caxton tr. Hist. Reynard Fox (1970) 45 He was a pylgrym of deux aas [Du. een pellegrym van doys aes]. 1596 Gosson in W. C. Hazlitt Remains Early Pop. Poetry Eng. IV. 254 Deuse-ace fals still to be their chance. 1598 W. Shakespeare Love's Labour's Lost i. ii. 46 You know how much the grosse summe of deus-ace amountes to..Which the base vulgar do call three. 1609 Euerie Woman in her Humor sig. F4^v Twere better by thrice deuce-ace in a weeke [etc.]. 1658 J. Jones tr. Ovid Invective against Ibis 75 Deuce Ace cannot pay scot and lot, and Sice Sink will not pay: Be it known to all, what payments fall must light on Cater Tray [i.e. the middle classes]. 1766 O. Goldsmith Vicar of Wakefield I. ii. 13 I threw deuce ace five times running. 1894 F. S. Ellis Reynard the Fox 336 That which is likened to deuce ace Hath in esteem the lowest place. deuce-point n. the second point from either end of the board at backgammon. ΚΠ 1778 T. Jones Hoyle's Games Improved 179 Suppose, that 14 of his Men are placed upon his Adversary's Ace Point, and one Man upon his Adversary's Deuce Point. Draft additions October 2011 deuce court n. Tennis the receiver's right-hand service court, into which the ball is served when the score of a game is at deuce; cf. advantage court n. at advantage n. Compounds. ΚΠ 1896 R. W. Chambers Maker of Moons 132 ‘Play—it's deuce you know.’ ‘I know,’ I replied, and sent a merciless ball shooting across her deuce court. 1953 N.Y. Times 30 Aug. v. 9/2 The Atlanta youth had scored five times with his service, each time in the deuce court. 2000 D. Diamond Trophy Wife (2001) 12 ‘Out,’ Mary yelled and walked back to the deuce court. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1895; most recently modified version published online June 2022). deucen.² Brit. /djuːs/, /dʒuːs/, U.S. /d(j)us/ Forms: Also 1600s dewce, 1600s–1700s deuse, 1600s–1800s duce, 1700s dewse, 1800s dialect doose. Etymology: Probably < Low German in 17th cent.: compare German daus, Low German duus, used in precisely the same way, in the exclamatory der daus! was der daus…!Low German de duus! wat de duus!The derivation of German daus is disputed: but there is reason to think that it is the same word as das daus = the deuce n.¹ at dice (where ‘two’ is the lowest and most unlucky throw), the gender being changed when the gambler's exclamation of vexation ‘the deuce!’ was metamorphosed into a personal expletive. A parallel development is known in Danish where the plural noun pokker ‘pocks, pox’, has come to be felt as a singular, and to be taken for ‘the devil’, from its use in imprecations such as Gid pokker havde det! Would that a pox had that!, Pokker staa i det! A pox on that! Hvad pokker er det? What the pox (devil) is that? (See pox n.) (On other conjectural identifications see Rev. A. L. Mayhew in Academy 30 Jan. 1892, p. 111.) colloquial or slang. a. Bad luck, plague, mischief; in imprecations and exclamations, as a deuce on him!, a deuce of his cane! ΘΚΠ the mind > language > malediction > oaths > [interjection] > oaths other than religious or obscene > imprecations woeOE dahetc1290 confoundc1330 foul (also shame) fall ——c1330 sorrow on——c1330 in the wanianda1352 wildfirea1375 evil theedomc1386 a pestilence on (also upon)c1390 woe betide you (also him, her, etc.)c1390 maldathaita1400 murrainc1400 out ona1415 in the wild waning worldc1485 vengeance?a1500 in a wanion1549 with a wanion1549 woe worth1553 a plague on——a1566 with a wanion to?c1570 with a wanyand1570 bot1584 maugre1590 poxa1592 death1593 rot1594 rot on1595 cancro1597 pax1604 pize on (also upon)1605 vild1605 peascod1606 cargo1607 confusion1608 perditiona1616 (a) pest upon1632 deuce1651 stap my vitals1697 strike me blind, dumb, lucky (if, but—)1697 stop my vitals1699 split me (or my windpipe)1700 rabbit1701 consume1756 capot me!1760 nick me!1760 weary set1788 rats1816 bad cess to1859 curse1885 hanged1887 buggeration1964 1651 T. Randolph et al. Hey for Honesty i. i. 1/1 But a deuce on him, it does not seem so. 1677 T. Otway Cheats of Scapin iii. i, in Titus & Berenice sig. I3^v A dewce on't. a1679 Earl of Orrery Guzman (1693) ii Who, a duce, are those two fellows? 1709 S. Centlivre Busie Body iii. iii. 32 A Duce of his Cane. 1719 T. D'Urfey Wit & Mirth II. 66 A-duce take their Chat. a1721 M. Prior Thief & Cordelier in Poems What a duce dost thou ayl? 1796 R. Burns Let. 7 July (2003) II. 385 The deuce of the matter is this; when an Excise-man is off duty, his salary is reduced. b. The personification or spirit of mischief, the devil. Originally, in exclamatory and interjectional phrases; often as a mere expression of impatience or emphasis: as, what the (†what a) deuce?, so who, how, where, when the deuce?, (the) deuce take it!, the deuce is in it! Later, in other phrases parallel to those under devil n.: to play the deuce (with), the deuce and all, the deuce to pay, a deuce of a mess, etc.In the quotations under a (to which the earliest instances belong), ‘plague’ or ‘mischief’ is evidently the sense: cf. the parallel and earlier ‘A mischief (a pox, or a plague) on him!’ ‘Mischief (or plague) take you!’ ‘What a mischief (pox, plague)!’ This meaning is also possible in those under b¹: cf. the parallel ‘What the mischief (or the plague)!’ But mischief was personified already before 1700, and ‘the Mischief’ was in the late 18th cent. a frequent euphemism for ‘the devil’; that deuce was already taken in this sense in 1708 is evident from Motteux's use of it as = French diantre, in b². In the other quotations in the same group, ‘deuce’ plainly takes the place of ‘devil’ in well-known phrases; but such clearly personified uses as ‘the deuce knows’, ‘to go to the deuce’, appear late. ΘΚΠ the world > the supernatural > deity > a devil > the Devil or Satan > [noun] devileOE Beelzebubc950 the foul ghosteOE SatanOE warlockOE SatanasOE worsea1200 unwinea1225 wondc1250 quedea1275 pucka1300 serpenta1300 dragon1340 shrew1362 Apollyon1382 the god of this worldc1384 Mahoundc1400 leviathan1412 worsta1425 old enemyc1449 Ruffin1567 dismal1570 Plotcocka1578 the Wicked One1582 goodman1603 Mahu1603 foul thief1609 somebody1609 legiona1616 Lord of Flies1622 walliman1629 shaitan1638 Old Nicka1643 Nick1647 unsel?1675 old gentleman1681 old boy1692 the gentleman in black1693 deuce1694 Black Spy1699 the vicious one1713 worricow1719 Old Roger1725 Lord of the Flies1727 Simmie1728 Old Scratch1734 Old Harry1777 Old Poker1784 Auld Hornie1786 old (auld), ill thief1789 old one1790 little-good1821 Tom Walker1833 bogy1840 diabolarch1845 Old Ned1859 iniquity1899 1694 W. Congreve Double-dealer i. i. 2 The Deuce take me if there were three good things said. 1733 J. Swift Epist. to Lady 11 Deuce is in you, Mr. Dean. 1757 T. Smollett Reprisal i. viii What the deuce are you afraid of? 1776 S. J. Pratt Pupil of Pleasure II. 34 How the duce came she to marry? 1827 B. Disraeli Vivian Grey III. v. xii. 230 What the deuce is the matter with the man? 1861 T. Hughes Tom Brown at Oxf. I. iii. 55 How the deuce did you get by the lodge, Joe? 1708 P. A. Motteux Wks. F. Rabelais v. xix The Dewse take 'em [Fr. Mais quoy diantre!]; (they flatter the Devil here, and smoothifie his Name, quoth Panurge).1762 L. Sterne Life Tristram Shandy V. xxviii. 99 There has been..the duce and all to do.1763 G. Colman Deuce is in Him Prol. If our author don't produce Some character that plays the deuce; If there's no frolick, sense, or whim, Retort! and play the dev'l with him!1793 W. Cowper Let. 29 Mar. (1984) IV. 316 If the Critics still grumble, I shall say the very deuce is in them.1824 Ld. Byron Don Juan: Canto XV lvii. 33 He had that kind of fame Which sometimes plays the deuce with womankind.1830 Countess Granville Let. 9 Nov. (1894) II. 65 An unpopular one..would have been the deuce to pay.1840 W. M. Thackeray Catherine ii Love is a bodily infirmity..which breaks out the deuce knows how or why.1846 C. Dickens Dombey & Son (1848) ii. 9 The child is..Going to the very Deuce.1851 D. G. Mitchell Fresh Gleanings 19 Tearing away at a deuce of a pace.a1860 G. P. Morris Poems (ed. 15) 251 Here'll be the deuce to pay!1861 E. D. Cook Paul Foster's Daughter iii A gipsy, rollicking, deuce-may-care sort of bird.1861 W. M. Thackeray Four Georges iv. 181 To lead him yet farther on the road to the deuce. c. As an expression of incredulous surprise; also, as an emphatic negative, as in (the) deuce a bit!, etc. (Cf. plague n., sorrow n., the devil a bit at devil n. Phrases 1e(b), fiend n.) ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > expectation > surprise, unexpectedness > exclamation of surprise [interjection] whatOE well, wellOE avoyc1300 ouc1300 ay1340 lorda1393 ahaa1400 hillaa1400 whannowc1450 wow1513 why?1520 heydaya1529 ah1538 ah me!a1547 fore me!a1547 o me!a1547 what the (also a) goodyear1570 precious coals1576 Lord have mercy (on us)1581 good heavens1588 whau1589 coads1590 ay me!1591 my stars!a1593 Gods me1595 law1598 Godso1600 to go out1600 coads-nigs1608 for mercy!a1616 good stars!1615 mercy on us (also me, etc.)!a1616 gramercy1617 goodness1623 what next?1662 mon Dieu1665 heugh1668 criminy1681 Lawd1696 the dickens1697 (God, etc.) bless my heart1704 alackaday1705 (for) mercy's sake!1707 my1707 deuce1710 gracious1712 goodly and gracious1713 my word1722 my stars and garters!1758 lawka1774 losha1779 Lord bless me (also you, us, etc.)1784 great guns!1795 mein Gott1795 Dear me!1805 fancy1813 well, I'm sure!1815 massy1817 Dear, dear!1818 to get off1818 laws1824 Mamma mia1824 by crikey1826 wisha1826 alleleu1829 crackey1830 Madonna mia1830 indeed1834 to go on1835 snakes1839 Jerusalem1840 sapristi1840 oh my days1841 tear and ages1841 what (why, etc.) in time?1844 sakes alive!1846 gee willikers1847 to get away1847 well, to be sure!1847 gee1851 Great Scott1852 holy mackerel!1855 doggone1857 lawsy1868 my wig(s)!1871 gee whiz1872 crimes1874 yoicks1881 Christmas1882 hully gee1895 'ullo1895 my hat!1899 good (also great) grief!1900 strike me pink!1902 oo-er1909 what do you know?1909 cripes1910 coo1911 zowiec1913 can you tie that?1918 hot diggety1924 yeow1924 ziggety1924 stone (or stiffen) the crows1930 hullo1931 tiens1932 whammo1932 po po po1936 how about that?1939 hallo1942 brother1945 tie that!1948 surprise1953 wowee1963 yikes1971 never1974 to sod off1976 whee1978 mercy1986 yipes1989 1710–11 J. Swift Lett. (1767) III. 89 We were to dine at Mr. Harley's alone, about some business of importance..but the deuce a bit, the company staid, and more came. 1712 J. Swift Jrnl. to Stella 22 Mar. (1948) II. 519 The D—— he is! marryed to that Vengence! 1728 C. Cibber Vanbrugh's Provok'd Husband i. i. 12 Man. He has carried his Election...L. Town. The Duce! what! for—for—. a1777 S. Foote Cozeners (1778) ii. 48 Me? ha, ha, ha! the deuce a bit. 1789 H. L. Piozzi Observ. Journey France II. 26 At Florence and Milan, the deuce a Neapolitan could he find. 1805 H. Lee Canterbury Tales V. 56 The old lady glanced at her..but deuce a bit did she desire her to sit down. 1831 Examiner 354/1 ‘Lord Eldon was not one of those’..The deuce he's not! This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1895; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.¹1481n.²1651
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deucen.1

Compounds

Draft additions October 2011

deucen.2

deucen.¹

deucen.²