DEUCE


Meaning of DEUCE in English

/ djuːs; NAmE duːs/ noun

1.

[ U , C ] ( in tennis ) the situation when both players have 40 as a score, after which one player must win two points one after the other in order to win the game

2.

[ C ] ( NAmE ) a playing card with two pips on it :

the deuce of clubs

3.

the deuce [ sing. ] ( old-fashioned , informal ) used in questions to show that you are annoyed :

What the deuce is he doing?

••

WORD ORIGIN

senses 1 to 2 late 15th cent.: from Old French deus two, from Latin duos .

sense 3 mid 17th cent.: from Low German duus , probably of the same origin as deuce two (two aces at dice being the worst throw).

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.