Curse of Scotland Gurney Benham's book about playing cards, in describing the game of Pope Joan he gives his own explanation for why this card is known as the Curse of Scotland: "The crown of Scotland contained only nine stones, as they never could afford a tenth". Eric Partridge's "Routledge Dictionary of Historical Slang" considers: “the various theories are as interesting as they are unconvincing”. "Collins Encyclopedia of Scotland" says for "Curse of Scotland" "This is usually taken to be the nine of diamonds playing card, though explanations differ". The 19th century Tarot of Marseilles is one of the standard designs for tarot
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")