Curse of Scotland play. Curse of Scotland The Curse of Scotland is a nickname used for the Nine of Diamonds playing card. The expression has been used at least since the early 18th century, and many putative explanations have been given for the origin of this nickname for the card. In a book printed in London in 1708, "The British Apollo, or, Curious amusements for the ingenious", a question is posed: Q. "Why is the" Nine of Diamonds "called" the curse of Scotland? A. Diamonds as the Ornamental Jewels of a Regnal Crown, imply no more in the above-nam'd Proverb than a mark
Deuce (playing card) of a boar on the playing cards was simply a pictorial illustration of this etymological development. According to Marianne Rumpf, the name comes from a Baden dialect in which the "S" is spoken like a "Sch" and the word "Dausch" is used for a female pig or sow. The Brothers Grimm state in their dictionary, that the word "Tausch" was used for the four cards. Perhaps the word "Dausch" inspired card artists who illustrated the free space under the coloured symbols with a sow. The language of card players may also have given rise to the expression "Däuser" (also "Deuser")