capot

[prettygoodword]

capot (kah-POT, kah-POH) - n., in piquet and similar card games, winning all tricks in a deal.


Another word picked up from Heyer. For what it's worth (probably not much since piquet it is rarely played now, at least in English-speaking countries), a capot is worth 40 points. Adopted around 1640 with the importation of other French terms used in the game (including the name -- until then, the English used the Spanish-derived name, Cent) after the marriage of Charles I to Henrietta Maria, from French where it designated (n.) or described (adj.) the player who has no tricks, after faire capot, to capsize, a nautical term.

---L.

Comments

[thistleingrey.livejournal.com]

Kaputt gemacht! Nowadays (or rather, 20-60 years ago, not sure about exactly now) it means to have become broken--something my Oma declared often. Turns out "kaputt" is borrowed from "capot," which I hadn't known. Nice.

[prettygoodword.livejournal.com]

Heh -- our German translator, who's about five years older than me, also uses that phrase. I'd assumed it'd come from the same Latin as caput ("head"). Interesting!

---L.