Grace card
Preserved but no longer current.
Also seen as: Grace's card
The six of hearts is so called in Kilkenny. One of the family of Grace, of Courtstown, in Ireland, equipped at his own expense a regiment of foot and troop of horse, in the service of James II. William III promised him high honours if he would join the new party, but the indignant baron wrote on a card, "Tell your master I despise his orTer." The card was the six of hearts, and hence the name.
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 “Grace card” mean?
The six of hearts is so called in Kilkenny. One of the family of Grace, of Courtstown, in Ireland, equipped at his own expense a regiment of foot and troop of horse, in the service of James II. William III promised him high honours if he would join the new party, but the indignant baron wrote on a card, "Tell your master I despise his orTer." The card was the six of hearts, and hence the name.
Is “Grace card” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.