English · Idiom Historical

playing cards

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

A Presbyterian phrase, used in reproof of the term King's Books, applied to a pack of cards, from the Fr. llvre des quatre rots (the book of the four kings). Also called the Devil's Bible.

Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)

Examples

"I feel like playing cards." "So do I.""Tôi muốn đánh bài." "Tôi cũng vậy."

Tom is playing cards with Mary and John.Tom đang đánh bài với Mary và John.

Tatoeba sentence #1527 (CC BY 2.0 FR, tatoeba.org, retrieved 2026-07-31)

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.

Topics: Historical slang (1800s)

Common questions

What does “playing cards” mean?

A Presbyterian phrase, used in reproof of the term King's Books, applied to a pack of cards, from the Fr. llvre des quatre rots (the book of the four kings). Also called the Devil's Bible.

Is “playing cards” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.