I. ˈd(y)üs noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle French deus two, from Old French, from Latin duos, accusative masculine of duo two — more at two
1.
a.
(1) : the face of a die that bears two spots
(2) : a playing card bearing an index number 2 or having two pips : twospot
b.
(1) : a cast of dice yielding a point of two
(2) deuces plural : a pair of deuces in a poker hand
2.
[so called from the two successive points or games that must be won]
: a tie in tennis in points toward a game or in games toward a set immediately below the minimum score needed for one side to win (as at 40 points or 5 games in lawn tennis) requiring scoring of two consecutive points by one side to win the game or set ; also : a subsequent tie in a game in which deuce has occurred — compare advantage
3.
[probably from deuce two at dice (as the lowest throw)]
a. obsolete : bad luck : plague — used chiefly as a mild oath
b. : devil , dickens , hell — used chiefly as a mild oath
the deuce you say
what the deuce is he up to now
and as an intensive with in
where in the deuce is he
c. : something notable of its kind — used quasi adverbially
a deuce of a lovely day
we had one deuce of a time getting there on schedule
4. : any of various things of which the number two forms an important identification (as a two-dollar bill, a 2000-watt spotlight, or a score of two strokes on a hole at golf)
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
: to bring the score of (a tennis game or set) to deuce