Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source
deuce
c.1475, "a roll of 2 in dice," from M.Fr. deus, from L. duos (nom. duo) "two." Became a mild oath by 1710, about 50 years after it was first attested in the sense of "bad luck, the devil, etc.," perhaps because two was the lowest score, and probably by similarity to L. deus and related words meaning "god." Low Ger. had der daus! in same sense 16c., which probably influenced the Eng. form. Deuce coup is 1940s hot-rodder slang for "souped up two-door car," especially a 1932 Ford.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
deuce1 /dus, dyus/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[doos, dyoos]
–noun
1.Cards. a card having two pips; a two, or two-spot.
2.Dice.
a.the face of a die having two pips.
b.a cast or point of two.
3.Tennis. a situation, as a score of 40–40 in a game or 5–5 in a match, in which a player must score two successive points to win the game or two successive games to win the set.
4.Slang.
a.a two-dollar bill.
b.the sum of two dollars.
–adjective
5.(esp. in games, sports, and gambling) two.
[Origin: 1425–75; late ME deus < AF, MF: two < L duōs (masc. acc. of duo)]
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
deuce2 /dus, dyus/
–noun
devil; dickens (used as a mild oath): Where the deuce did they hide it?
[Origin: 1645–55; appar. to be identified with deuce1]
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source
deuce 1 (dōōs, dyōōs)
1. A playing card having two spots or the side of a die bearing two pips.
2. A cast of dice totaling two.
3. A tied score in tennis in which each player or side has 40 points, or 5 or more games, and one player or side must win 2 successive points to win the game, or 2 successive games to win the set.
tr.v. deuced, deuc·ing, deuc·es
To make the score of (a tennis game or set) deuce.
[Middle English deus, from Old French, two, from Latin duōs, masculine accusative of duo; see dwo- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
American Heritage Dictionary
deuce 2 (dōōs, dyōōs)
n.
1. The devil: "Love is a bodily infirmity . . . which breaks out the deuce knows how or why" (Thackeray).
2. An outstanding example, especially of something difficult or bad: had a deuce of a time getting out of town; a deuce of a family row.
3. A severe reprimand or expression of anger: got the deuce for being late.
4. Used as an intensive: What the deuce were they thinking of?
[Probably from Low German duus, a throw of two in dice games, bad luck, ultimately from Latin duo, two; see deuce1.]
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