Comments on: Knaves & Jacks

By: Sam Long

Sam Long — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 08:49:29 +0000

If we still used Anglo-Saxon lables for cards, we would have “C” for “cyning”, king; “C” for “cwen”, queen; and “C” for “cnafa”, knave. Then things would be really confusing.

By: Dan S.

Dan S. — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 15:19:48 +0000

I read somewhere that “Jack” became the common term for the card when letters were added for easy identification; “K” stood for King, so some other letter had to be used for what had been called the Knave. Perhaps they could have used “N” as a phonetic rendering of Knave, but they didn’t.

By: Louise Hope

Louise Hope — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 02:08:08 +0000

I always thought Harold Russell was the guy who won an Oscar for getting his arms shot off.

By: Tygr

Tygr — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 23:20:20 +0000

One of my father’s favorite quotes on the subject:

“A knave; a rascal; an eater of broken meats; a
base, proud, shallow, beggarly … action-taking knave” Earl of Kent, King Lear; Act II, Scene 2.