Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A dart; a quarrel.
- noun An old French game, similar to bowls.
- noun A square of glass, especially a small one, used in ornamental glazing.
- noun A kind of cushion upon which lace is made. It has the front part lower than the back and holds from 6 to 28 pairs of small spools or spindles, the lace as it is made being wound on a cylinder.
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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Whenever I called carreau, he used to give coeur. "
Stories by Foreign Authors: Polish, Greek, Belgian, Hungarian Demetrios Vikelas 1871
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The remainder of the pack equally presents a sort of martial allegory; the heart is bravery; the spade (espad, ` sword ') and the diamond (carreau, that is,
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As for the window “sans carreau”, so much the better for the pigeons.
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Go for broke – a throw known as à carreau knocks the enemy's winning boule out, leaving yours in its place; le bec inches a potentially winning boule of your own yet closer to the jack – or play it safe?
How boules got cool 2010
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As for the window “sans carreau”, so much the better for the pigeons.
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Mais t'as interet de te tenir a carreau * rigole* parce que j'ai eu du mal!!
pinku-tk Diary Entry pinku-tk 2007
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Et auoit veu souuent la Marionette dudit Neuillon, qui est comme vn gros crapaut tout noir, comme d'vne fourrure noire, & estoit dans vne boëtte caché soubs vn carreau, qui sautoit & leuoit quand on vouloit donner à manger audit crapaut.
The Witch-cult in Western Europe A Study in Anthropology Margaret Alice Murray 1913
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Et auoit veu souuent la Marionette dudit Neuillon, qui est comme vn gros crapaut tout noir, comme d'vne fourrure noire, & estoit dans vne boëtte caché soubs vn carreau, qui sautoit & leuoit quand on vouloit donner à manger audit crapaut.
The Witch-cult in Western Europe A Study in Anthropology Margaret Alice Murray 1913
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Clubs (trèfle, clover), on account of his flowery eloquence; St. Jerome to the King of Spades (pique, lance), because of his biting style; St. Gregory the Great to the King of Diamonds (carreau, in the sense of "foot-stool") on account of his lowliness of thought.
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 2: Assizes-Browne 1840-1916 1913
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The reference here may be to his _Resolution des problèmes qui regardent le jeu du franc carreau_ (1733).
A Budget of Paradoxes, Volume I (of II) Augustus De Morgan 1838
qms commented on the word carreau
This entry has a couple of striking omissions. One is an etymology, although one can be obtained readily elsewhere. Clearly the nearest progenitor of "carreau" is the French "carrė," for "square." The other is illustrated in the usage examples but not made explicit among the definitions: "Carreau" is the diamond suit in a deck of cards.
Clubs promise nothing but sorrow
And spades only hope for tomorrow.
She scorns fainting hearts
And marshals her darts.
Her goal is to gather the carreaux.
March 18, 2014