English words from Gamblers

In the American West, back when there was no reliable currency, traders negotiated prices in terms of a barter system. In some cases, they fixed prices in terms of a “buckskin,” which gradually was reduced to “buck.” We now use “buck” to mean “a dollar,” so instead of $1.50, one can casually say, “That’s a buck fifty” or “That’s a buck and a half.”

A second meaning of “buck” was a knife that had a “buck’s horn” as a handle. It was used as a marker in card games. When the dealer finished dealing a round of cards, he “passed the buck” to the next person.
Gradually the expression “pass the buck” came to mean trying to make another person responsible for something that he himself should deal with. Someone who “passes the buck,” is avoiding responsibility. President Harry Truman famously commented, regarding his desk at the White House, “The buck stops here,” meaning that the president has the ultimate responsibility for decisions. He cannot “pass the buck” to anyone else.

Also from gambling comes the expression “an ace in the hole.” In a deck of cards, an “ace” is the card with the highest value. The term “in the hole” means the card is turned face down and only the player who possesses the card knows what it is. From this, we get the meaning of “a hidden advantage or a resource that is kept in reserve until it is needed.”

(242 words)

*This article shows examples of cultural literacy in English.
(See earlier article “Words, Grammar, and Cultural Literacy”).