Games of

patience or forbearance, is the ability to endure difficult or undesired long-term circumstances. Patience involves perseverance or tolerance in the face of delay, provocation, or stress without responding negatively, such as reacting with disrespect ...

, or (card) solitaires as they are usually called in North America, have their own 'language' of specialised terms such as "building down", "packing", "foundations", "talon" and "tableau". Once learnt they are helpful in describing, succinctly and accurately, how the games are played. Patience games are usually for a single player, although a small number have been designed for two and, in rare cases, three or even four players. They are games of skill or chance or a combination of the two. There are three classes of patience grouped by object. The most frequent object is to arrange the cards either in ascending sequence (e.g. from Ace to King) or descending sequence. Occasionally both forms of

sequence In mathematics, a sequence is an enumerated collection of objects in which repetitions are allowed and order matters. Like a set, it contains members (also called ''elements'', or ''terms''). The number of elements (possibly infinite) is cal ...

are aimed at in the same game. The card forming the starting point of the required sequence is known as the foundation card and the sequence or

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

is said to be 'built up' on such card. In some cases foundation cards are picked out and placed in position beforehand; in others they are only laid down as they come to hand in course of play. In some instances the cards forming the sequence must be of the same suit as the foundation card; in others suit is disregarded. Some games permit the provisional formation of auxiliary sequences (descending or ascending), i.e. groups of cards in succession but not yet ripe to be played to the families or sequences on the foundation cards. A second object of many patiences is merely to 'pair' cards. The cards thus paired are thrown aside and, if the player is able, under the limitations of the particular game, to throw out all the cards in this way, the game is won. A third object is to throw out or dispose of any two cards which together form a particular number, say eleven or thirteen–the player's success, as before, depending on being able to get rid of all the cards in this manner.Hoffmann, Professor (1892), pp. 1–6. It will be obvious that the endeavour to arrange, pair, or combine the cards of a whole pack is a difficult task, varying in degree according to the rules of the particular game. The player must therefore be prepared for a good many failures even when close to success. Hence why the name 'patience games' has been give to recreations of this description.

A

; alternating colours, alternating color, alternate colours, alternate colors : Placing

red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a seconda ...

black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

cards or black on red cards alternately.Parlett (1979), pp. 24–32. ; available : A card that is available may be picked up and laid down elsewhere. ; available cards : Those that are not blocked or

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of ...

by other cards, ''i.e.'', not forbidden by the particular rules of each game, to be used.Cadogan (1874), p. xi. ; auxiliary sequence : A pile of cards that is packed on a depot within the

tableau Tableau (French for 'little table' literally, also used to mean 'picture'; : tableaux or, rarely, tableaus) may refer to: Arts * ''Tableau'', a series of four paintings by Piet Mondrian titled '' Tableau I'' through to ''Tableau IV'' * '' Tableau ...

in readiness for being built in the reverse order on the

foundations Foundation(s) or The Foundation(s) may refer to: Common uses * Foundation (cosmetics), a skin-coloured makeup cream applied to the face * Foundation (engineering), the element of a structure which connects it to the ground, and transfers loads f ...

when the time is right.

B

; base, base card : See foundation card.Jackson (2001), pp. 7 ff. ; batch : A number of cards dealt at one time. ; below : A card is below another if it is nearer to the bottom of the playing

board Board or Boards may refer to: Flat surface * Lumber, or other rigid material, milled or sawn flat ** Plank (wood) ** Cutting board ** Sounding board, of a musical instrument * Cardboard (paper product) * Paperboard * Fiberboard ** Hardboard, a ...

or to the player. See also

beneath Beneath may refer to: Film and television * ''Beneath'' (2007 film), an American thriller directed by Dagen Merrill * ''Beneath'' (2013 film), an American horror film directed by Larry Fessenden *''Beneath'', a 2013 film directed by Ben Ketai * "B ...

. ; beneath : A card is beneath another if it is

or overlapped by it. See also

below Below may refer to: *Earth *Ground (disambiguation) *Soil *Floor * Bottom (disambiguation) *Less than *Temperatures below freezing *Hell or underworld People with the surname * Ernst von Below (1863–1955), German World War I general * Fred Belo ...

. ; black (suits) : The suits of

Clubs Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Club (magazine), ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands a ...

and Spades. ; blocked : The situation when no more legal moves can be made. In some instances the game is automatically lost; in others a

grace Grace may refer to: Places United States * Grace, Idaho, a city * Grace (CTA station), Chicago Transit Authority's Howard Line, Illinois * Little Goose Creek (Kentucky), location of Grace post office * Grace, Carroll County, Missouri, an uni ...

may be used to unblock the game. Also chockered. ; build : To place one card on the top of the other in sequence, or otherwise, according to the rules. To place cards in their final location, in stacks or cascades according to the rules.Barry (2010), p. 11. ; build down : To place cards one on top of another in descending sequence. Cards may be 'built downward', e.g. from King to Ace.Barry (2010), p. 11. ; build up : To place cards one on top of another in ascending sequence. Cards may be 'built upward', e.g. from Ace to King.Barry (2010), p. 11. ; buried : See

C

; cascade : Cards are built on one another, starting from the bottom up. Each card's value and suit is face up, and should be able to be viewed by the player. However, only the top card is available for play. It is most commonly found in addition games. ; cells : In computer games, such as

freeCell FreeCell is a solitaire card game played using the standard 52-card deck. It is fundamentally different from most solitaire games in that very few deals are unsolvable, and all cards are dealt face-up from the beginning of the game. Microsoft h ...

, cells allow only one card at a time to be placed in them. Any card can be put in a cell. Same as

space Space is a three-dimensional continuum containing positions and directions. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions. Modern physicists usually consider it, with time, to be part of a boundless ...

and formerly known as a depot. ; chockered : See blocked. ; chocker, chockering : To become, or becoming, chockered or blocked. ; closed : A game of incomplete information in which cards that cannot be played are discarded to a wastepile. See also

open Open or OPEN may refer to: Music * Open (band), Australian pop/rock band * The Open (band), English indie rock band * ''Open'' (Blues Image album), 1969 * ''Open'' (Gerd Dudek, Buschi Niebergall, and Edward Vesala album), 1979 * ''Open'' (Go ...

and half-open. ; color, colour : In French-suited packs there are two 'colours':

, i.e. the suits of Hearts and

Diamonds Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Diamond is tasteless, odourless, strong, brittle solid, colourless in pure form, a poor conductor of electricity, and insol ...

, and

, i.e. the suits of

and Spades. ; column : A line of cards extending towards the player and usually spread, i.e. overlapping so that all are identifiable, but only the topmost card is

exposed Expose, exposé, or exposed may refer to: News sources * Exposé (journalism), a form of investigative journalism * '' The Exposé'', a British conspiracist website * '' Exeposé'', a student-run newspaper of the University of Exeter Film and TV ...

and therefore available. ; come out, out : A game is 'out' or said to 'come out' when the player achieves its objective. See also

get out ''Get Out'' is a 2017 American psychological horror film written, co-produced, and directed by Jordan Peele in his directorial debut. It stars Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Lil Rel Howery, LaKeith Stanfield, Bradley Whitford, Caleb ...

. ; court card : Picture card. The picture cards or face cards, being dressed in costume, were originally called coat cards. They are the King, Queen and Knave or Jack. ; covered : A card is covered when another card lies wholly or partially over it. It is not normally available. Also buried. ; crown : A suite or

is 'crowned' when the last card, often the King, is played to it.

D

; deal : To take cards from the top of the

pack Pack or packs may refer to: Music * Packs (band), a Canadian indie rock band * ''Packs'' (album), by Your Old Droog * ''Packs'', a Berner album Places * Pack, Styria, defunct Austrian municipality * Pack, Missouri, United States (US) * ...

and lay them on the

, face up unless the rules state otherwise. ; denomination : See value. ; depot, depôt : Position in the layout comprising a pile of cards, one card or a space waiting for a card. A depository to which cards not playable direct to foundations may be placed. ; discard : To place a card on the wastepile instead of playing it to the

. ; discard pile : See wastepile. ; down-card, downcard : A card lying face down.

E

; exposed : A card is exposed when it is not

or overlapped by another. Exposed cards are usually available.

F

; face : To turn a down-card face up. ; face down : A card is face down when its picture or pip side is hidden. ; face up : A card is face up when its picture or pip side is uppermost. ; family, families : Cards built in

upon the foundation cards. ; fan : A few cards, usually three, laid in an overlapping, crescent-shaped row such that only one is

and available. ; fanned : When the cards in the pile are overlapping, but part of each card can be seen. The fan is usually crescent-shaped and three in number. ; foundation, foundation pile : A pile of cards, typically squared and face-up, and built on the bottom card which is the foundation card. As the

is cleared, cards are moved to the foundations. ; foundation card : A card on which the Patience is formed. Foundations cards are generally Kings and Aces.Dick (1884), pp. 7–8. Also base or base card. ; foundation row : A row of foundation cards or the spaces for them.

G

; gap : See

. ; get out : To win a patience game; to succeed in achieving the aim of the game. See also

come out Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBTQ people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. This is often framed and debated as a privacy issue, ...

. ; goes through : Succeeds. See also

and

. ; grace : A special move that might otherwise be illegal.Arnold (2011), pp. 159–160. Also called a privilege. See also merci. ; grace card : A card which may be used as a

H

; half-open : A game which starts off closed, i.e. with incomplete information because not all cards are visible on the table, and which becomes

as play proceeds. Thus it is a combination of chance and skill. See also closed and

. ; heel : Cards set aside for later in the game. ; honors, honours : The Aces together with the court cards.

L

; lane : An empty line of spaces in the

, which has been formed by the removal of an entire row of cards. Carpet patience 1

; layout : The arrangement of cards dealt to the table at the start of the game. Parlett carefully distinguishes it from the

M

; marriage : The placing a card ''of the same suit'' on the next one above or below it in value. Any number may be placed on each other in this way. ; master card : See foundation card. ; merci : A rule that allows the

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

of a card in certain circumstances in contravention of the normal rules of the patience concerned.Tarbart (1905), pp. 1–4. Similar to

. ; move : Any transfer of an available card from one place to another allowed under the rules. ; multiples : Cards are placed in multiples when the

is a multiple of a number other than one e.g. where cards may only be placed on the card two, three, or four; higher or lower. In multiples, a Jack counts as eleven, a Queen twelve, and a King thirteen.

Wrapping Wrapping may refer to: *Buddy wrapping, the act of bandaging a damaged (particularly a fractured) finger or toe together with a healthy one *Overwrap, a wrapping of items in a package of a wrapping over packaging *Wrapping (text), a software feat ...

is often applied, i.e. if building up by two is required, then the sequence 10 - Queen - Ace - 3 - 5 is permitted.

O

; open : A game in which play begins with all cards face up on the table. Like chess, an open game is purely a game of skill. See also closed and half-open. ; out A game of patience or solitaire is said to be 'out' when it is solved successfully. Also called 'getting it out'. ; overlap, overlapping : A

column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member ...

of cards is overlapping when each succeeding card partly covers the preceding one such that it can be identified.

P

; pack # To pack is to place cards in

in an intermediate location, usually the

, until they can be placed on the

. # A pack (also deck) is the set of cards in hand which are being dealt at the outset of the game. Normally 52 cards or a multiple thereof. However some patiences are played with a

Piquet pack A Piquet pack or, less commonly, a Piquet deck, is a pack of 32 French suited cards that is used for a wide range of card games. The name derives from the game of Piquet which was commonly played in Britain and Europe until the 20th century and is ...

or Euchre pack of 32 cards. ; packet : A squared up pile of cards dealt at the start of a game. Sometimes dealt such that the top card is face up and available while the ones

are face down. ; pair # Two cards of the same rank. # To combine two cards, either of the same rank or which total a given value e.g. 13, in order to discard or move them. ; pass : A succession of deals that runs through the entire

stock Stocks (also capital stock, or sometimes interchangeably, shares) consist of all the Share (finance), shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided. A single share of the stock means fractional ownership of the corporatio ...

once. Some games allow several passes through the stock; others restrict it to one pass. If the game is not

out Out or OUT may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films *Out (1957 film), ''Out'' (1957 film), a documentary short about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 *Out (1982 film), ''Out'' (1982 film), an American film directed by Eli Hollander *O ...

within the required number of passes, it is lost. ; patience : The name of a type of card game, usually for one player, in Britain and many other countries. ; peeking : Looking at the next card in the

before deciding on the next

. ; pile : A stack of cards one on top of the other and squared such that only the topmost card, whether face up or face down is visible. ; pips : The spots on the cards; that is, the figures of clubs, diamonds, etc.Cheney (1869), pp. 113 ff. ; play (a card, cards) : To place (a card) on the

in contradistinction to placing them elsewhere. To take up and use it in the game for

building A building or edifice is an enclosed Structure#Load-bearing, structure with a roof, walls and window, windows, usually standing permanently in one place, such as a house or factory. Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and functions, a ...

, packing or filling a

as opposed to discarding it to a wastepile. ; privilege : See

R

; rank : The value or denomination of a card. ; red (suits) : The suits of Hearts and

. ; redeal, re-deal # When the

is empty, to take the wastepile, turn it over, and use it to reform the stock. Sometimes it must be shuffled. # A second or follow-on deal. ; released cards : Those that, by the removal of the cards that blocked them, have now become available. ; reserve :Cards available for

that are not part of the

, talon,

or discard piles. ; reversing : In two-

patiences, when it is allowed to build

sequences In mathematics, a sequence is an enumerated collection of objects in which repetitions are allowed and order matters. Like a set, it contains members (also called ''elements'', or ''terms''). The number of elements (possibly infinite) is call ...

simultaneously, ascending on Ace

and descending on King foundations, so that when the tops cards of two foundations are in sequence (e.g. a Six and a Seven), cards may be transferred from one to the other. ; round the corner, around the corner : A

of cards that is built 'around the corner' is one where the King and Ace are seen consecutive. e.g. Q K A 2 or 2 A K Q. Also called

wrapping Wrapping may refer to: *Buddy wrapping, the act of bandaging a damaged (particularly a fractured) finger or toe together with a healthy one *Overwrap, a wrapping of items in a package of a wrapping over packaging *Wrapping (text), a software feat ...

. ; row : A line of cards placed side by side. May or may not be overlapped. ; rubbish heap, rubbish-heap : See wastepile.

S

; sequence, ascending sequence, descending sequence : A

cascade Cascade, or Cascading may refer to: Science and technology Science * Air shower (physics), a cascade (particle shower) of subatomic particles and ionized nuclei ** Particle shower, a cascade of secondary particles produced as the result of a high ...

, pile or row of cards in order of

rank A rank is a position in a hierarchy. It can be formally recognized—for example, cardinal, chief executive officer, general, professor—or unofficial. People Formal ranks * Academic rank * Corporate title * Diplomatic rank * Hierarchy ...

. Often the aim is to form a full sequence in each

suit A suit, also called a lounge suit, business suit, dress suit, or formal suit, is a set of clothes comprising a suit jacket and trousers of identical textiles generally worn with a collared dress shirt, necktie, and dress shoes. A skirt su ...

, typically from

Ace An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or a club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the ...

(low) to

King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

(high). The regular succession of cards ascending from Ace to King or descending from King to Ace; a sequence need not be of one suit. ; shuttling : A feature in some games whereby placing a card under an existing pile releases the top card which must be now played next. See, e.g. Travellers and its variants. ; singleton : A single care of any

. ; solitaire : North American name for games of patience. ; space : A gap in the

due to the removal of a singleton card or a pile of cards. Same as vacancy. A gap or vacancy in the layout into which cards may be played or from which cards have been removed.Parodi (2004), pp. 9 ff. An empty depot. Also gap or vacancy. ; spots : See pips. ; spread : To

overlap Overlap may refer to: * In set theory, an overlap of elements shared between sets is called an intersection, as in a Venn diagram. * In music theory, overlap is a synonym for reinterpretation of a chord at the boundary of two musical phrases * Ove ...

cards in a row or

such that each card can be made out, but only the topmost card is

and therefore available. ; squared : When the cards in the pile are directly on top of one another. ; stack, stacked : See pile. ;

: See talon. ;

: One of the four families of cards in a

all sharing the same symbol e.g.

, Spades, Hearts and

or Acorns,

Leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

, Hearts and Bells. ; suite : A pile of cards that has been built in

on a foundation card. Same as foundation pile. An Ace-suite is one based on an Ace, etc. A full sequence of 13 cards of one suit. ; suitable cards : Those whose value and suit fit them to be played or placed in the tableaux.

T

; tableau : An arrangement of cards on the table, typically comprising several depots i.e. places where

columns A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member ...

of overlapping cards may be formed, the packing taking place on the available cards on the columns. It is thus distinct from a

layout In general terms, a layout is a structured arrangement of items within certain limits, or a plan for such arrangement. Specifically, layout may refer to: * Page layout, the arrangement of visual elements on a page ** Comprehensive layout (comp), ...

, reserve, talon or wastepile. The main part of the

on the table. Sometimes equated, confusingly, to layout. ; talon : The remaining stack of cards, typically squared and face-down, that is left after the

has been populated. These cards can be turned over into the

waste Waste are unwanted or unusable materials. Waste is any substance discarded after primary use, or is worthless, defective and of no use. A by-product, by contrast is a joint product of relatively minor Value (economics), economic value. A wast ...

, usually one-by-one, but sometimes in groups of two or three (depending on rules), whenever the player wishes. Also

. Sometimes equated, confusingly, to waste pile. ; top card, topmost card : See uppermost card. ; turn the corner, turning the corner : In

or packing to continue the

after ascending to the King or descending to the Ace e.g. to run J Q K A 2 3.

U

; up-card, upcard : A card lying face up, usually at the top of a pile. See also down-card. ; uppermost card : The

card on the top, or surface of a packet. Also top or topmost card.

V

; vacancy : See

. ; value : The figures of the

court card A court is an institution, often a government entity, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and administer justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law. Courts gene ...

s and the number of points, pips or spots of the minor cards.

W

; waste (heap) : See wastepile. ; wastepile, waste pile : A stack or pile of cards, usually from the

or talon, that is formed when they are turned up but cannot be played immediately. The pile is usually squared and face-up and only the topmost card is available. Also rubbish heap, waste heap or discard pile. ; wing : The left or right half of the

when it is divided in two by a clear space. ; worrying back : Putting a card already built on a foundation back onto one of the depots in the

. Not allowed in many patiences. First introduced in Emperor Patience in 1890.Whitmore Jones (1890), pp. 72–74. ; wrapping # Building around the corner. # Using

modular arithmetic In mathematics, modular arithmetic is a system of arithmetic operations for integers, other than the usual ones from elementary arithmetic, where numbers "wrap around" when reaching a certain value, called the modulus. The modern approach to mo ...

to build the sequence, e.g. Queen-King-Ace-2-3, 10-Queen-Ace-3-5, 8-Jack-Ace-4-7.

Footnotes

References

Literature

* Arnold, Peter (2011). ''Card Games for One''. London: Chambers. * Barry, Sheila Anne (2010). ''Great Card Games for One''. NY: Puzzlewright. * Cadogan, Lady Adelaide (1872). ''Illustrated Games of Patience''. * Cheney, Ednah Dow Littlehale (1869). ''Patience: A Series of Games with Cards''. Boston: Lee & Shepard. * Dick, William Brisbane (1883). ''Dick's Games of Patience, Or, Solitaire with Cards.'' NY: Dick & Fitzgerald. * Hoffmann, Professor ngelo Lewis(1892). ''The Illustrated Book of Patience Games''. London, NY, Glasgow and Manchester: George Routledge. * Jackson, Robin (2001). ''Solitaire: Over 30 Challenging Solitaire Games''. NY: Barnes & Noble. * Morehead, Albert and

Geoffrey Mott-Smith The Mott-Smith Trophy, named for writer and cryptographer Geoffrey Mott-Smith, is awarded to the player with the best overall individual performance in the Spring Nationals, the spring event of the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) North Ame ...

(1950). ''The Complete Book of Patience''. London: Faber & Faber. *

Parlett, David David Parlett (born 18 May 1939 in London) is a games scholar, historian, and translator from South London, who has studied both card games and board games. He is the president of the British Skat Association. Life David Sidney Parlett was bo ...

(1979). ''The Penguin Book of Patience''. London: Penguin. * Parodi, Francesca (2004). ''Big Book of Solitaire''. NY: Sterling. * "Tarbart" (1905). ''Games of Patience'', 2nd edition. London: Thos. De La Rue. * Whitmore Jones, Mary (1890). ''Games of Patience for One or More Players''. 2nd Series. London: L. Upcott Gill. NY: Scribner’s.

External links

Glossary of card game terms
provided by The United States Playing Card Company {{DEFAULTSORT:Glossary Of Solitaire Patience games Card game terminology

Patience or forbearance, is the ability to endure difficult or undesired long-term circumstances. Patience involves perseverance or tolerance in the face of delay, provocation, or stress without responding negatively, such as reacting with disrespect ...

Wikipedia glossaries using description lists