Also 6 troumpe, 6–7 tromp(e, trumpe. [Corruption of TRIUMPH sb., in senses 8, 8 b.]
1. A playing-card of that suit which for the time being ranks above the other three, so that any one such card can ‘take’ any card of another suit; spec. the card, usually that last turned up by the dealer, determining this suit; also, pl. (formerly also in sing.), the suit thus determined.
1529. Latimer, 1st Serm. on Card, in Foxe, A. & M. (1563), 1302/2. Heartes is trumpe. Ibid., 2nd Serm., Ibid., 1306/1. Cast thy tromp vnto them both, and gather them all three together.
1575. Gamm. Gurton, II. ii. B iv. There is 5 trumps beside the Queene.
1607. Heywood, Wom. Kild w. Kindn., Wks. 1874, II. 123. Anne. What’s trumpes? Wend. Harts.
1656. Earl Monm., trans. Boccalini’s Advts. fr. Parnass., I. ii. (1674), 4. Every the least Trump did take all the best Coat-Cards.
1779. Warner, in Jesse, Selwyn & Contemp. (1844), IV. 254, I won the first trick and led a trump.
1849. Hannay (title), Hearts are Trumps.
1885. Proctor, Whist, vii. 88. With good plain cards and five trumps you need never hesitate to lead trumps.
† b. An obsolete card-game, known also as ruff.
1529. Latimer, 1st Serm. on Card, in Foxe, A. & M. (1563), 1303/1. There be many one that breaketh this carde,… and playeth there with oftentimes at the blinde trompe, wherby they be no winners but great losers.
1575. Gamm. Gurton, II. ii. B iv. We be fast set at trumpe, man, hard by the fyre.
1598. Florio, Trionfo,… also a trump at cards, or the play called trump or ruff.
1688. R. Holme, Armoury, III. xvi. (Roxb.), 72/1. Ruffe and Honors, and Whisk, which are generally amongst the Vulgar Termed Trump.
1798. Sporting Mag., XII. 299. Laws of the game of Trumps.
[1807. Douce, Illustr. Shaks., II. 96. The old card game of trump … bore a very strong resemblance to our modern whist.]
c. An act of trumping; the taking of a trick with a trump card.
1853. Lytton, My Novel, I. xii. Parson … mixes all the cards together again, and … groans,… ‘The cruelest trump!’
2. fig. and in fig. context. To turn up trumps, to turn out well or successfully (mod. colloq.).
1595. Locrine, IV. ii. She … snatcht vp a fagot stick … and came furiously marching towards me,… thundering out … Thou drunken knaue, where hast thou bin so long?… and so shee began to play knaues trumps.
1621. Burton, Anat. Mel., III. iii. I. ii. (1651), 602. They turned up trumpe, before the Cards were shuffled.
1641. Hollis, in Rushw., Hist. Coll., III. (1692), I. 346. To be honest when every body else is honest, when Honesty is in fashion, and is Trump, as I may say, is nothing so meritorious.
a. 1734. North, Exam., III. vi. § 63 (1740), 470. The same Card was going to be Trump in the factious Game against King Charles II.
1854. Daily News, 10 Aug., 4/4. If, in fact, the latter [Germany], a traitor to all the the best interests of civilisation, basely holds back until the political cards turn up trumps for Russia, then there is perhaps a danger that the process of Russianising the continent of Europe may go on.
1862. W. W. Collins, No Name, IV. viii. Instances … of short courtships and speedy marriages, which have turned up trumps—I beg your pardon—which have turned out well, after all.
† b. fig. An obstruction, a hindrance: in phr. (to cast) a trump in (one’s) way. Obs.
1529. Latimer, 1st Serm. on Card, in Foxe, A. & M. (1563), 1302/2. We wil fyrst cast a trumpe in theyr way, and play with them at cardes who shall haue the better.
a. 1548. Hall, Chron., Edw. V., 2. Euery one of these castes had been a troumpe in the duke of Gloucesters waye.
1577–87. Holinshed, Chron., III. 855/2. He thought good first to send him some whither out of the waie, least he might cast a trumpe in his waie.
c. To put (one) to († upon) his trump or trumps: To oblige a card-player to play out his trumps; fig. ‘to put to the last expedient’ (J.).
1559. Mirr. Mag., Jack Cade, xx. Ere he took me, I put him to his trumpes.
1584. Lyly, Campaspe, III. iv. Doeth not your beauty put the painter to his trump?
1681. Dryden, Span. Friar, IV. i. We are now put upon our last trump.
1697. Dampier, Voy. (1729), I. 526. The Wind … oft put us to our trumps to manage the Ship.
1754. R. Paltock, P. Wilkins, xiv. (1883), 46/2. The strangeness of her dress put me to my trumps, to conceive either what it was, or how it was put on.
1824. W. Irving, T. Trav., I. I. ii. 9. Whether such an unexpected accession of company … would not put the housekeeper to her trumps to accommodate them.
1907. W. James, Pragmatism, iv. 142. A bit of danger or hardship puts us agreeably to our trumps.
3. colloq. as a term of hearty commendation: A person of surpassing excellence; a first-rate fellow; a ‘brick.’
[1762. T. Brydges, Burlesque Homer, I. (1797), 37. But I, in spite of all his frumps, Shall make him know I’m king of trumps.]
1819. Sporting Mag., IV. 236. The Irish trump again got the throw.
1829. Chron., in Ann. Reg., 65/1. Girls of dissolute character … called out … ‘Good bye, Tom! God bless you, my trump!’
1837. Dickens, Pickw., xli. You’re a trump.
1867. Trollope, Chron. Barset, I. xv. 127. Nobody knows better than you what a trump I got in my wife.
1894. Du Maurier, Trilby, II. 257. Taffy, what a regular downright old trump you are!
4. attrib. and Comb., as trump card (also fig.), lead, suit; trump-like adj.; trump signal, at Whist, a call for trumps: see CALL v. 22 d (Funk’s Stand. Dict., 1895).
1806. Maryland Gaz., 20 Feb., 3/3.
| Is that the trump card? Then I cannot stand. | |
| And I must throw up—Let me look at your hand. |
1822. Byron, Juan, VIII. xxv. ‘The best Intentions’ … form all mankind’s *trump-card.
1876. A. Campbell-Walker, Correct Card (1880), 65. After the dealer has taken the trump card into his hand.
1884. Times (weekly ed.), 10 Oct., 9/3. The trump card which the Radicals played was the general remission of taxes.
1870. Hardy & Ware, Mod. Hoyle, 25. *Trump leads, without strength in trumps can only be justified [etc.].
1836–9. Dickens, Sk. Boz, Making a Night of it. A certain *trump-like punctuality in turning up just in the very nick of time.
1861. Macm. Mag., Dec., 130. No trump is turned up, the *trump suit being determined in another way.
1862. ‘Cavendish,’ Whist (1879), 10. Any one may inquire what the trump suit is, at any time.
Hence Trumpless a. (nonce-wd.), having or containing no trumps.
1859. Weekly West (MO), 17 July, 2/1. A number of small fry are setting round the table, but have trumpless hands and make no figure in the game.
1899. A. Mainwaring, Cut Cavendish, 51. ‘Chicane,’ i.e. a trumpless hand, counts twice the value of the trump suit.
