Bridge: vocabulary and definitions (105 words)

This page gathers the 105 dictionary entries belonging to the domain “Bridge”, as labelled by Wiktionary. Each word leads to its full entry: definitions, etymology, pronunciation, examples.

-ton suffix A set of specific objects or persons.
above the line adv In the part of the score sheet in bridge that is reserved for honors, penalty, and premiums; a score that does not count towards game.
ace bare noun An ace held without any accompanying lower-ranked cards in that suit, rendering it unprotected or undefended.
aces and spaces noun A bridge hand with opening points based primarily on aces, so that there are not enough winners.
advancer noun The overcaller's partner, especially one who bids following the overcall.
alertable adj Requiring the partner of the person making a bid to alert the opponents that the bid's meaning involves a partnership understanding that is…
antipositional adj Tending to undermine or harm one's position.
approach-forcing noun A bidding system in which the responder does not support a partner's bid suit without 4 card support or 3 cards plus a Queen or higher…
arrow switch noun The action of changing the North direction during an event, typically for the last round of a Mitchell movement, so that the pairs who were…
artificial adj Conveying some meaning other than the actual contents of one's hand.
auction noun The first stage of a deal, in which players bid to determine the final contract.
Bath coup noun A coup where the declarer, holding AJx in a suit, ducks the left-hand opponent's lead of a king or queen.
below the line adv Pertaining to points scored for tricks bid and won, which count towards game.
biddable adj Suitable for bidding.
board noun A container for holding pre-dealt cards that is used to allow multiple sets of players to play the same cards.
brown sticker adj Designating a category of contract bridge conventional agreements that are difficult to defend against, and thus only permitted at high…
checkback noun A play of a designated card as a prompt to one's partner to respond with a play indicating the kinds of card he/she holds.
chicane noun The holding of a hand without trumps, or the hand itself.
contract noun The declarer's undertaking to win the number of tricks bid with a stated suit as trump.
conventional adj In accordance with a bidding convention, as opposed to a natural bid.
coup noun One of various named strategies employed by the declarer to win more tricks, such as the Bath coup.
crossruff noun A play in which tricks are taken by taking alternate ruffs in each hand
cuebid noun A bid of a suit that has already been bid by opponents.
declarer noun The person who wins the bidding and so declares what suit will be trump.
distributional adj Having an uneven distribution.
double noun A call that increases certain scoring points if the last preceding bid becomes the contract.
doubleton noun A pair of cards of the same suit, which are the only cards of that suit in a player's hand
dry-stone adj Constructed by laying carefully selected stones on top of each other, and bedding them down with no mortar.
dummy noun A player whose hand is shown and is to be played from by another player.
echo verb To give the echo signal, informing one's partner about cards one holds.
endgame noun The final stage of a game of bridge, when there are few cards left.
endplay noun A tactical play in which a defender is put on lead at a strategic moment, and then has to make a play that loses one or more tricks
established suit noun A plain suit in which a player (or side) could, except for trumping, take tricks with all of his or her remaining cards.
exit verb To give up the lead.
falsecard noun A card played in order to deceive an opponent as to one's true holding
fit noun The quality of a partnership's combined holding of cards in a suit, particularly of trump.
forcing adj Pertaining to a bid which requires partner to continue bidding rather than pass.
ghoulie noun A form of contract bridge in which only goulash hands are played.
goulash noun A style of play in which the cards are not thoroughly shuffled between consecutive deals, so as to make the suits less evenly distributed…
grand slam noun The bid and winning of all the tricks during the play of one hand.
high card noun An honor card, specifically, a jack, queen, king or ace, that is crucial in determining the strength of a hand.
hold up noun The holding back of a card that could win a trick in order to use it later.
hook noun A finesse.
huddle noun A hesitation during play to think about one's next move.
invitation noun A bid that tells one's partner that game or slam is likely if their hand is at the strong end of what they have indicated.
Jacoby transfer noun A convention in most bridge bidding systems initiated by responder following partner's no-trump opening bid that forces opener to rebid in…
keycard noun In Roman keycard Blackwood, an ace of any suit or the king of trumps.
kickback noun In contract bridge, an ace asking convention initiated by the first step above four of the agreed trump suit.
laydown noun A hand which is so strong that the declarer can simply expose it and claim the number of tricks required by his or her contract.
length noun The number of cards held in a particular suit.
Life Master noun A player who has been awarded 300 or more masterpoints in certain types of tournament by the American Contract Bridge League.
limit bid noun A bid that describes the bidders hand fairly precisely (indicating a small range of high card points and some indication of shape.)
major noun Ellipsis of major suit.
major suit noun Either of the suits of spades (♠) and hearts (♥), which rank higher than the minor suits (diamonds and clubs).
minor noun Ellipsis of minor suit, a card of a minor suit.
minor suit noun Either of the suits of diamonds (♦) and clubs (♣), which rank lower than the major suits (spades and hearts).
Morton's fork noun A coup in contract bridge that forces an opponent to choose between letting declarer establish extra tricks in the suit led, or losing the…
movement noun A pattern in which pairs change opponents and boards move from table to table in duplicate bridge.
multi noun A contract bridge convention whereby the opening bid of 2♦ shows several possible types of hands.
natural adj Bidding in an intuitive way that reflects one's actual hand.
no trumps noun A bid or contract without any suit designated as trumps.
no-trumper noun One who makes a no-trump bid.
non-alertable adj Not alertable; Not requiring the partner to alert as part of a partnership agreement.
offside adj Unfavourably located, from the point of view of the player taking a finesse.
on air prep_phrase Won with a high card though capturing only small cards.
onside adj Favourably located, from the point of view of the player taking a finesse.
overcall verb To call a bet after another player has already called
overruff verb To ruff with a higher trump following a prior ruff on the same trick.
palooka noun Someone incompetent or untalented.
pass out verb To end (a round) by having passes as the first four bids.
phantom noun A placeholder for a pair of players when there are an odd number of pairs playing.
pianola noun A hand that is easy to play, i.e. one that "plays itself".
precision noun A bidding system that makes use of many artificial bids to describe a hand quite precisely.
preempt noun A preemptive bid.
preemptive adj Intended to interfere with an opponent's bidding.
psych adj Clipping of psychedelic (“of, containing, generating, or reminiscent of drug-induced altered awareness, distortions of perception…
re-entry noun The act of retaking the lead by winning a trick.
re-entry card noun A card that enables a hand to gain the lead on a later trick, after that hand has already gained the lead with a different entry card.
rebid verb To bid a higher value of the current suit.
redouble noun An optional bid made by the side currently holding the highest bid for the contract, after the opposing side has doubled.
sacrifice noun In full sacrifice bid: a bid of a contract which is unlikely to be fulfilled, that a player makes in the hope that they will incur fewer…
set verb To defeat a contract.
signoff noun A bid indicating that one's partner should pass.
slam verb To make a slam bid.
small card noun Any card lower than a jack, playing a vital role in the various strategic aspects of the game.
splinter noun A double-jump bid which indicates shortage in the bid suit.
squeeze play noun The tactic of running a suit to compel another player to waste potentially winning cards.
strip verb To remove all cards of a particular suit from another player. (See also strip-squeeze.)
takeout noun A double of an opponent's bid, intended to invite one's partner to compete in the auction, rather than to penalise one's opponents.
takeout double noun A double, usually indicating strength and a desire to play the hand; partner is expected to "take out" by making a bid.
tempo noun The timing advantage of being on lead, thus being first to initiate a strategy to develop tricks for one's side.
tenace noun An interrupted sequence of high cards of the same suit, such as the king and jack or the ace and queen.
they pron The opponents of the side which is keeping score.
thirteener noun The last playing card of a suit left after the other twelve have been played.
throw verb To discard.
transfer noun A conventional bid which requests partner to bid the next available suit.
traveller noun A sheet of paper that is circulated with the board of cards, on which players record their scores.
unbid adj Which have not been bid for.
underbid verb To bid less than the full value of a hand of cards.
underlead noun A lead of a low card when holding the top card or cards in a suit.
underruff verb To ruff with a trump lower than the trump already played by one's opponent
void adj Having no cards in a particular suit.
we pron The side which is keeping score.
winkle squeeze noun A squeeze in which a trick is offered to the defenders but whichever wins the trick is then endplayed.
yarborough noun A hand that contains no honors (alternative letter-case form of yarborough).

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