Many of the following terms are not universally
recognized, but are growing in popularity. You may not
learn to PLAY like a bridgeplayer here, but you'll learn
to TALK like one! :))
Beaver - Redouble. (see also RECHARGE, REWIND). An
expression borrowed from Backgammon. When
the redouble is for takeout, it is called an
"SOS" Beaver. When the redouble is for
penalty it may be one of FOUR types:
a) The Doubt Beaver - We have bid a shaky contract (often
3NT) which is doubled. A redouble here expresses
interest in running out (usually to a minor) if
partner is not THOROUGHLY confident of making.
b) The Bluff Beaver - At MPs, a redouble of a contract
you KNOW is going for a telephone number, in the
hope that an opponent (who may have passed slowly,
denoting reluctance to defend) will run.
c) The InTurn Beaver - A straight penalty redouble of a
contract that you are very confident of making.
d) The OutTurn Beaver - A cross between the InTurn and
Bluff redoubles, the OutTurn suggests that you are
not 100% sure of making, but want to give the enemy
one more chance to run (where they'll be slaughtered).
Cardrack - As a verb: to win at rubber bridge because of
being dealt very good cards.
- As a noun: an individual who tends to hold
very good cards (especially at rubber bridge).
Case - The sole remaining card in a suit, as in
"You had the 13th Heart!? I thought HE
had the case Heart!" A poker term.
Compression - An error which results in "compressing" a
healthy number of easy tricks down to a much
lower number of tricks actually taken.
Dead - Small, irrelevant cards. "Puppies". Also, any
inaccessible (i.e. entryless) hand.
Float - To pass out, as in "1S-Float". (See also SWISH)
Forcing Defence - Forcing declarer to ruff, thereby shortening
hir trumps. (See also PUMP and TAP)
Grosvenor Gambit - An opportunity to MAKE an unmakeable contract
presented by the defence and declined by
an overly suspicious Declarer.
Hook - Finesse. Used as a verb or a noun.
Locked - Stranded in one hand. "Dummy locked" and
"board locked" mean stranded on Dummy. "Hand
locked" means Declarer is trapped in hir hand.
Pump - To force declarer to ruff, shortening hir
trump length. (See also TAP and FORCING GAME)
Puppies - Small, insignifant cards.
Recharge - Redouble.
Rewind - Redouble.
Sominex Coup - Playing so slow that the opponents fall asleep.
Swish - To pass out, as in "The auction went 1D-swish."
Tap - To force declarer to ruff, shortening hir trump
length. (See also FORCING DEFENCE and PUMP)
--------------- Rainbow Expressions ---------------
The following expressions arose from the Rainbow,
Kaleidoscope and Spectrum courses or from the Firesides.
2HARD - 2 Honours Are Rarely Doubleton. The Rainbow
expression for the Principle of Restricted
Choice.
Brough Rule - "3S is more pre-emptive than 4S."
Cripple Creek Coup - Passing with a weakish hand and
a massive fit for Partner's suit,
sacrificing only if and when the
opponents are able to find game.
DOSES - Desperate? Be Optimistic. "Safe?" Be
Extremely Suspicious.
DROOL - David's Rule Of Offside Length. If the
opponents are silent throughout in a
a part score or, perhaps, a game contract
play the opponent behind our length for
length in that suit.
FFSS - First Forces, Second Suggests. After making a
2-over-1 response any 3-level raise of
Opener's first bid suit (e.g. 1S:2C:any:3S)
is a game force in SAYC/SARC; any raise of
Opener's second bid suit (e.g. 1S:2C:2H:3H)
invites game.
Hemmingway Pre-Empt - A pre-empt so light that its only
purpose would seem to be to keep
PARTNER out of the auction.
"Ask not for whom Partner pre-empts;
s/he pre-empts THEE!" :)
Inverted Hesitations - Pausing when you have nothing to
think about so as to "cover your
tracks" if the day should ever
come when you do! :)
A good way to meet Directors and
people on Appeals Committees. :)
There are better ways to make
friends, though. :)
Kenny Coup - Showing strength in order to dissuade the
opponents from doubling or bidding over our
ultimate contract.
Killdeer Coup - Bidding something less than our intended
contract so as to appear reluctant when
we do bid our final contract so that the
opponents may not be inclined to bid on.
LENT - Law Of Enthusiastic No Trumps. If the opponents
"climb all over themselves" to bid No Trump
after we overcall, we try to surprise them by
leading some suit OTHER than the one we bid.
LOTUS - The tendency to use 2-suited overcalls such
Michaels and the Unusual 2NT ONLY when the
LOWER ranked suit is AT LEAST as strong as
the higher ranked suit. LOTUS = "Lower Of
Two Usually Stronger".
Maxi-Flex - Maximum Flexibility: the tendency, when
faced with 2 or more equally attractive
choices, to prefer the CHEAPER/CHEAPEST
such option, so as to leave Partner the
most room for correction as necessary.
moogal - A yarborough, useless or "cleavis" hand.
OWES - Odd Weak, Even Stronger. Pre-empts in the odd
(1st and 3rd) seats tend to be weaker than
the corresponding even (2nd and 4th) seats.
ROLANDS - Rule Of Length AND Strength. Some will
add their length to their number of "top 3"
honours and pre-empt to that level. So with
S-KQxxxx (6 + 2) they will open at the
8-trick level of 2S. With S-KJ109xx (6 + 1)
they would pass.
T.I.T. - Texas Idiot Transfer. Bidding over their
game (e.g. 1H-P-4H-4S) as a reflex action.
---------------- Local Expressions ----------------
These are local expressions which may be unfamiliar
to non-Manitobans.
52 Pickup - Any 5-3-3-2 type hand. A "Spade-Diamond
Pickup", then, would be 5-3-2-3, the
"Spade-Diamond" clarifying the 5- and
2-card suits respectively.
Camel - Any 4-4-3-2 type, the two four-carders being
the "humps" of the camel. A pointed camel,
then, would have 4-4 in the pointed suits
(i.e. Diamonds and Spades), 3-2 in the others.
Carted - Beaten badly, as in "We got carted away..."
Cleavis - Useless. Often used to describe a yarborough.
COUP Dummy - A profoundly disappointing dummy.
COUP = "Change Of Underwear, Please"
CounterGrease - A reversal of fortune from bad to good.
Alternatively, a safety play.
(see also COUNTERSLIME)
CounterSlime - A reversal of fortune from bad to good.
Alternatively, a safety play.
(see also COUNTERGREASE)
Dealt-In - Given. Easy. 10 "dealt-in" tricks would
be ten TOP tricks.
Express - Any 4-3-3-3 type distribution. "Express Clubs"
would refer to a 3-3-3-4 hand. "Riding the
Diamond Express" would refer to a 3-3-4-3
distribution.
Gamble Gambit - Losing one's mind EARLY in a match in order
to lull the opponents into a false sense
of security. Named after Bill Gamble, a
Winnipeg legend (now living in Vancouver).
Grease - Luck. (See also SLIME)
GreaseBall - A very lucky individual. (See also GREASEPIT)
GreasePit - A very lucky individual. (See also GREASEBALL)
Narvy Dummy - A dummy tabled that is at least two full Aces
stronger than could be expected. True Narvy
dummies have PASSed throughout the auction.
NTR - No Thought Required. An easy bid or play.
POS - Piece of...Sewage. A very bad hand.
ROFA - Polite interpretation: Regardless OF Anything.
Slime - Luck. (See also GREASE)
Stripper - AKQ of a suit, as in "I have stripper-5th"
when we hold AKQxx.
Surprise - Abusing a convention, especially when the
bidder's hand is most likely to be dummy.
While a normal Flannery 2D opening bid shows
4 Spades and 5 Hearts (11-15 HCPs), for
example, a Surprise Flannery 2D might have
5-6 in the majors. The name derives from
the inevitable look on Declarer's face.
Unlike other conventional understandings,
Surprise bids are NOT discussed with partner
beforehand because, well, that would ruin
the surprise!
------------- Internet Abbreviations --------------
B = I am Back
BRB = I will Be Right Back
BTW = By The Way
F2F = Face-To-Face bridge (as opposed to online play)
FWIW = For What It's Worth
GLP = Good Luck, Partner
IMHO = In My Humble Opinion
LOL = Laugh(ing) Out Loud (previously "Little Old Lady")
NTR = No Thought Required
TUP = Thank You, Partner
TYP = Thank You, Partner
IIRC = If I Recall Correctly
WTP? = What's The Problem?
