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# deuce

noun (deuce, deuces); exclamation (old-fashioned)

«deuce» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. In tennis, deuce is the score when both players have 40 points, so one must win two points in a row to win the game. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deuce/#m1)
2. A playing card or a dice face with the number two on it. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deuce/#m2)
3. (old-fashioned) A mild word for the devil, used to show surprise or annoyance: «What the deuce?» [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deuce/#m3)

### In the lessons

Used in sport (tennis), card games and old-fashioned stories. It tells the reader the score is level in tennis, or about the number two in games.

### Examples

- The score was deuce, and the crowd went quiet. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deuce/#x1)
- After three deuces, she finally won the game. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deuce/#x2)
- He played the deuce of hearts. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deuce/#x3)
- I rolled a deuce, so I moved two squares. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deuce/#x4)
- «What the deuce is going on here?» asked the old captain. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deuce/#x5)
- They went back to deuce again and again. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deuce/#x6)
- Where the deuce can the house be? [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deuce/#x7)

### Note

In tennis the order is love (0), 15, 30, 40, then deuce if tied at 40; after deuce comes «advantage». The swear use is old and mild, found in old books. In card maths a deuce counts as 2.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «deuce» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deuce/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«deuce» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/deuce.html) on Mova free.