Talk:deuce

Deuce as an "epithet"?[edit]

Is Deuce correctly to be termed an epithet?
Probably not, since an epithet is a noun meaning an adjective or phrase expressing a quality or attribute regarded as characteristic of the person or thing mentioned. Deuce is not being used as in the sense of "old men are often unfairly awarded the epithet ‘dirty’".
This Entry's Definition of the meaning of Deuce as a noun, ought more precisely to characterise this meaning to be either a simple expletive, or a bowlderized exclamation.
There is also the word/usage Deuced, having a meaning similar to damned.

Is deuce related to deus? 12:12, 12 May 2008 User:218.68.246.138
Probably not. Almost certainly related to duo (Latin), but the path by which it can to English needs a little bit of research. DCDuring TALK 22:17, 15 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I also suspect that the etymology (2) (from "Late Latin dusius (phantom, specter); Gael. taibhs, taibhse (apparition, ghost); or from Old French deus (God), from Latin deus (compare deity.)", recorded in 1913, is not correct but given the attitude of the time (1913) is a polite "clean etymology" so that polite people could keep on using "deuce" as an expletive without feeling guilty. To me, "deuce" as an expletive is merely a "minced oath" distortion of "devil" , and the "Etymology 2" can be deleted.
Likewise. I suspect that the etymology seen in dictionaries for some uses of "damn" (e.g. "not worth a damn"), as from a small Indian coin, is a "polite etymology" and not the true origin: for "not worth a damn" compare "not worth a tinker's cuss" and suchlike, where clearly no sort of coin figures in its etymology. Anthony Appleyard 13:51, 3 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

"to drop a deuce" seems to be a slang for "to defecate". Dunno how widespread it is, saw on the internets inadvertently. --CopperKettle (talk) 15:51, 25 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]