a loose card
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A worthless fellow who lives on the loose. A loose card is a card of no value, and consequently the properest to throw away. — HOYIE: Games, etc.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “a loose card” mean?
A worthless fellow who lives on the loose. A loose card is a card of no value, and consequently the properest to throw away. — HOYIE: Games, etc.
Is “a loose card” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.