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prettygoodwordambsace (AYMZ-ays, AMZ-ays) - n., snake eyes, the lowest roll of two dice, the double ace; bad luck; the smallest amount of something, most worthless thing.
Just an ambsace of mildew in the pot makes the whole soup taste bad. This is old gambling slang extended metaphorically and then largely forgotten -- I probably should mark the definition as (arch.). In use since at least the 13th century (a common usage citation is to Chaucer), original form in Anglo-Norman ambes as, from Old French, from Latin ambas, both + as, unit (the root of both ace and the Roman coin called an as.
---L.
Just an ambsace of mildew in the pot makes the whole soup taste bad. This is old gambling slang extended metaphorically and then largely forgotten -- I probably should mark the definition as (arch.). In use since at least the 13th century (a common usage citation is to Chaucer), original form in Anglo-Norman ambes as, from Old French, from Latin ambas, both + as, unit (the root of both ace and the Roman coin called an as.
---L.
