Curse of Scotland excluded, making the 7, later called the "beer card", a "stop") but there is no direct relation with the 9. Gomme's book goes on to claim "At the game of Pope Joan, the nine of diamonds is Pope; therefore the nine of diamonds is the curse of Scotland". "The Spectator" review considered the claim "more cogent in form than in matter". A letter written in response to "The Spectator's" book review pointed out that the saying was established well before Culloden, and preferred the Pope Joan theory to other explanations. Other explanations given in the letter were: An 1864 book
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")