See Also: retain(dictionary)
retain(dictionary)
Gambling(law)
gambling(dictionary)
gambling(medicine)
gambling(encyclopedia)
Women and Gambling(casino)
Gambling money(finance)
Gambling Stake - Roulette(gambling)
Guerrilla Gambling - Roulette(gambling)

Prick - Poker (gambling) and retain (iou)


Prick - Poker (gambling)


Mark the backs of cards with a pin, thumbtack, or Other sharp instrument, in such a way that the thief making such marks can later tell by feel the rank of the card. This is the opposite of peg, in which the thief marks the fronts of cards. Such markings are sometimes called pin work.

retain (iou)



retain verb. LME.
[Anglo-Norman retei(g)n- repr. tonic stem of Old & mod. French retenir from Proto-Romance from Latin retinere, formed as RE- + tenere hold.]
I. verb trans.
a. Restrain; hold back, stop; prevent, hinder. LME-M18.
b. Orig., keep in custody or under control. Later, keep in place, hold fixed. Freq. as retaining ppl adjective. M16.
retaining wall a wall supporting or confining a mass of earth or water.
A. Henry Skin, which alone retained his hand to his arm.
a. Entertain, give hospitality to. rare. LME-L16.
b. Keep attached to one's person or engaged in one's service. LME.
Scholarly Publishing Consultants had to be retained to redesign it.
c. Orig. gen., (rare) engage, hire. Later spec., secure the Services of (esp. a barrister) by engagement and preliminary payment. M16.
retaining fee a fee paid to secure the Services of someone, esp. a barrister.
J. Barth The nurses and the minister retained separate attorneys. A. Hailey The firm had been retained on the advice of..lawyers.
a. Keep hold or possession of; continue to have, keep, or possess. LME.
W. Cobbett It seems to me to..retain the water. M. Stott Michael Foot's failure to retain the Leadership.
b. Continue to use, practise, or recognize. M16.
B. Jowett Better..to retain the order in which Plato..has arranged this. P. P. Read Authority he still retained from the old days.
c. Allow to remain or prevail; preserve. E19.
retained object rare (Grammar) an object of a passive verb. retained profit profit retained in a business as opp. to being distributed to owners or shareholders.
Lytton To this day are retained the massive walls.
Keep or bear in mind; remember. L15.
H. Wace Unable to retain any but the simplest thought. A. Brookner They both retained a happy memory of..Toto.
II. verb intrans.
Refrain from something. M16-E17.
Adhere, belong, be attached to. M16-E18.
Remember. L16.
E. B. Titchener The quick learner appears to retain as well as the slow.
Continue, remain. rare. Only in M17.
retaina'bility noun ability to be retained M19.
retainable adjective (a) (of a court action) able to be heard; (b) able to be retained: LME.
retainment noun (a) the action or an act of retaining something; retention; (b) Entertainment, maintenance: LME.