trump

See: trump card

The cards used by the sons and daughters of Oberon in Roger Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber for communication, transportation, and mischief. To have a trump for someone (or something) means you can speak with that person, travel to where they are, distract them with a contest of wills, and any number of interesting things.

Evidently, anyone can make a trump from any material (Dworkin drew one on the wall of a jail cell.) as long as they learn the trick and have some talent drawing or painting.

TRUMPS

To be put to one's trumps: to be in difficulties, or put to one's shifts. Something may turn up trumps; something lucky may happen. All his cards are trumps: he is extremely fortunate.

The 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue.

British slang: verb. To fart. noun A bottom burp.

Yes, growing up in England, a trump was a fart.

When The Donald first announced he was running for the office of US president, I had to chuckle and tell people about this snippet of trivia. As Webster points out, it has an old meaning¹ of "to blow a trumpet", in this case the trouser trumpet or the bowel bugle. It made me snicker throughout the campaigning, right up to the end when it was clear that he was willing to go a stage further and shit over everything.

¹ staightdope citation

The irony is not lost on me that he's accused of farting at his criminal trial.


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97 for Terse Quest 2024

Trump (?), n. [OE. trumpe, trompe, F. trompe; probably fr. L. triumphare to triumph, to exult, hence, probably, to make a joyous sound or noise. See Triumph, v. i. & n., and cf. Trombone, Tromp, Trump at cards, Trumpery, Trumpet, Trunk a proboscis.]

A wind instrument of music; a trumpet, or sound of a trumpet; -- used chiefly in Scripture and poetry.

We shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump. 1 Cor. xv. 51, 52.

The wakeful trump of doom. Milton.

© Webster 1913.

Trump, v. i. [Cf. OF. tromper. See Trump a trumpet.]

To blow a trumpet.

Wyclif (Matt. vi. 2).

© Webster 1913.

Trump, n. [A corruption of triumph, F. triomphe. See Triumph, and cf. Trump a trumpet.]

1.

A winning card; one of a particular suit (usually determined by chance for each deal) any card of which takes any card of the other suits.

2.

An old game with cards, nearly the same as whist; -- called also ruff.

Decker.

3.

A good fellow; an excellent person.

Alfred is a trump, I think you say. Thackeray.

To put to one's trumps, or To put on one's trumps, to force to the last expedient, or to the utmost exertion.

But when kings come so low as to fawn upon philosophy, which before they neither valued nor understood, it is a sign that fails not, they are then put to their last trump. Milton.

Put the housekeeper to her trumps to accommodate them. W. Irving.

© Webster 1913.

Trump, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Trumped (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Trumping.]

To play a trump card when one of another suit has been led.

© Webster 1913.

Trump, v. t.

To play a trump card upon; to take with a trump card; as, she trumped the first trick.

© Webster 1913.

Trump, v. t. [F. tromper to deceive, in OF., to blow a trumpet, se tromper de to mock. See Trump a trumpet.]

1.

To trick, or impose on; to deceive.

B. Jonson.

2.

To impose unfairly; to palm off.

Authors have been trumped upon us. C. Leslie.

To trump up, to devise; to collect with unfairness; to fabricate; as, to trump up a charge.

© Webster 1913.