deuce
deuce
Pronunciation
Phonetic Information (IPA)
The IPA phonetic spelling for "deuce" is /duːs/.
Syllable Breakdown
The word "deuce" has one syllable.
Syllable 1: [duːs]
d - Voiced alveolar stop
uː - Long close back rounded vowel (often realized as a diphthong /(d)juːs/ in some accents, but /(d)uːs/ is the standard modern transcription)
s - Voiceless alveolar fricative
Word Form Variations
The term "deuce" primarily functions as a noun.
Singular Noun: deuce
Plural Noun: deuces
Verb (Base Form): deuce
Verb (Third-Person Singular Present): deuces
Verb (Present Participle): deucing
Verb (Past Tense/Past Participle): deuced
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
1. Tennis Score
Definition: In tennis, a tied score in a game when both players or teams have won at least three points (40-40). The score must be achieved by winning two consecutive points after deuce to win the game.
Synonyms: Tie, equality, advantage court (referring to the state after deuce), all (referring to a score of 40-40 before the modern term "deuce").
Antonyms: Advantage (a score of one point beyond deuce), game point, break point, set point.
2. Playing Card or Die Face
Definition: A card, tile, or side of a die marked with two spots or having a value of two in a game.
Synonyms: Two, pair (in some contexts), low card.
Antonyms: Ace, tray (three), face card, ten.
3. Informal/Exclamatory (Often referring to the Devil)
Definition: Used as an informal, mild oath or an exclamation of annoyance, surprise, or disbelief, often standing in for "devil" or "hell."
Synonyms: Devil, mischief, dickens (e.g., What the deuce).
Antonyms: Angel, blessing, grace.
4. Slang (Rare/Informal)
Definition: A two-dollar bill or, in older slang, an undesirable person or thing.
Synonyms: Two-spot, two-dollar note.
Antonyms: Benjamin, sawbuck (ten-dollar bill).
Verb
Definition: To tie the score in a tennis game at 40-40, or to reach the score of deuce.
Synonyms: Tie up, equalize, draw even.
Antonyms: Break, gain advantage, win.
Examples of Use
📰 News and Print Media (Tennis Score)
"The first set stretched to over an hour, with both players trading service breaks and pushing five different games to deuce before the tiebreaker finally decided the winner."
The headline read: "Veteran Player Fights Back from Two Sets Down, Winning Four Consecutive Points After Deuce to Take the Decisive Game." (Sports section, June 2024)
"The commentator noted the dramatic point: 'It's deuce again! This is the sixth time they've reached this score in this epic game.'"
🃏 Gaming and Card Contexts (Number Two)
"He fanned out his hand, revealing a run of low cards that included the deuce of hearts and the three of clubs, enough to meet the call."
"The dealer had to settle the dispute over whether the deuce (the number two) was considered a low or high card in that specific variation of poker." (Gambling publication, March 2023)
A board game rulebook stated: "If a player rolls a deuce on the six-sided die, they must move their piece backward two spaces."
🗣️ Public Discourse and Informal Exclamations
"When she didn't show up for the meeting, I thought, What the deuce is going on? She's never late."
"The old man used to shake his fist and exclaim, 'Go to the deuce with your silly ideas!' whenever the grandkids teased him."
"I lost my keys somewhere near the park. How the deuce am I going to get back inside now?" (Personal communication, October 2024)
🎬 Entertainment and Pop Culture (Slang and Idioms)
A character in a screenplay, referring to a bad situation: "It looks like we've hit a deuce of a problem, and I don't see a way out."
The title of a 1999 comedy film features the term in a professional context: Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo.
In the lyrics of a blues song: "I tossed the bones across the table, hoping for a ten, but all I saw was a lonely deuce." (Music album, January 2020)
10 Famous Quotes Using Deuce
"What the deuce is it to me?" (Arthur Conan Doyle, A Study in Scarlet)
"Go to the deuce and come back to me when you can be a little human!" (Louisa May Alcott, Jo's Boys)
"Charlie, here comes the deuce." (Crash Davis, Bull Durham film)
"If you are not allowed to touch the heart sometimes in spite of syntax... may all Poetry go to the deuce, and every schoolmaster perish miserably!" (William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair)
"And that was the way / The deuce was to pay / As it always is, at the close of the day / That gave us." (Will Carleton, "The Fault Finders")
"Suspending reason, and you can play it deuces wild." (Ayn Rand, The Fountainhead)
"Deuce is like a cockroach. It was here before us. It's gonna be here long after you and me are gone." (Vincent Martino, The Deuce TV series)
"My rule in making up examination questions is to ask questions which I can't myself answer. It astounds me to see how some of my students answer questions which would play the deuce with me." (Henry Adams, The Education of Henry Adams)
"What the deuce!?" (A frequently used catchphrase by the character Stewie Griffin in the animated series Family Guy)
"The moment the door was ajar, I slipped in. ‘What the deuce is the matter with you, Dick?'" (P.G. Wodehouse, A Damsel in Distress)
Etymology
The word "deuce" has a straightforward and persistent history that centers almost entirely around the number two.
Origin and Meaning
The word comes from the Old French word deus, which simply meant "two." This, in turn, traced back to the Latin word duos, also meaning "two."
First Known Use and Meaning
The first known uses of "deuce" in English, appearing around the late 13th to early 14th century, immediately applied to its primary meaning:
The Number Two in Games: It was used to refer to the side of a die marked with two spots or a playing card with the value of two. This was its original and most literal use.
Evolution of the Tennis Meaning
The more specialized meaning we use today—the tied score in tennis (40-40)—developed much later, likely in the 18th century, and is an example of the word taking on a specific, conventional meaning within a game:
It is thought to be a corruption of the French phrase à deux, meaning "to two" or "at two (points)."
The idea is that a player needs two more consecutive points after the tied score to win the game. The term literally signifies that the game is now effectively "two" points away from being won by either side.
The Exclamatory/Slang Meaning
The use of "deuce" as a mild oath (e.g., "What the deuce!") is a separate, more colorful evolution. This meaning arose later, serving as a euphemism for the word "devil." Because the number two was traditionally considered the lowest and unluckiest number in a roll of dice, it eventually became associated with bad luck or an undesirable, devilish entity.
In short, "deuce" started as the simple French word for "two" and kept that meaning when adopted into English for dice and cards, before branching out to be a specialized term in tennis and a polite way to swear.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Deuce
What the deuce: A mild exclamation of surprise, confusion, or annoyance (a euphemism for "What the devil/hell").
Example: "What the deuce is that smell coming from the basement?"
Go to the deuce: An older, polite way to tell someone to go away or a mild curse (meaning "go to the devil/hell").
Example: "If he keeps interrupting me, I'll tell him to go to the deuce."
The deuce to pay: A common phrasing in the idiom "The devil to pay", referring to serious trouble, a difficult situation, or a severe consequence that will inevitably follow an action.
Example: "If we lose this contract, there'll be the deuce to pay."
Play deuces wild: A phrase, originating in card games (like poker), meaning to act without restraint, ignore the rules, or behave wildly, as the number two (the deuce) is a wild card.
Example: "The board meeting devolved into chaos, with everyone playing deuces wild."
Deuce court: A term used in tennis to refer to the right side of the court (from the serving player's perspective); all points when the score is at deuce are served to this side.
Lesser-Known and Supplementary Phrases
Since "deuce" is not used in a vast number of modern idioms outside of the tennis and card/dice context, here are a few less common or supplementary phrases that extend its meaning:
A deuce of a mess: An informal, somewhat dated way of saying a very large or difficult mess/problem (using "deuce" as an intensifier, similar to "devilish").
To call deuce: To reach a tied score of 40-40 in a game of tennis.
Ace and deuce: A combination of the highest (Ace) and lowest (Deuce) valued cards in certain card games.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of deuce from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
