The vocabulary of Trictrac in French literature
 

The Gambler

Regnard, 1696

Vocabulary specific to Trictrac (highlighted in pink in the excerpt) :

Trictrac Master : under Louis XIV, the game of trictrac was highly prized in aristocratic circles, and one may assume it was considered important to learn to play it. In 1634, Euverte de Jollyvet published the first treatise on the game of trictrac, intended to try to standardize the rules.

Toutabas : the name given by Regnard to the trictrac master is an expression from the game of trictrac. Trictrac is played with two dice, and each player has 15 pieces, which are stacked on the first point of the board, called the « tablier ». The 15 pieces thus stacked by the two players form the two talons.

The result of the dice thrown onto the board is a pair of two numbers, equal or different — for example 6 and 5. The player concerned by this result may either move one piece for the total of the points — this is called playing « tout d'une » — or move two pieces from the talon, one for the 6 and one for the 5 — this is called playing « tout à bas ». If he moves a piece already brought down from the talon, this is called playing « transport ».

Vicomte De la Case : the pieces in the game of trictrac follow a course of 24 points shaped like arrows. Moving one's pieces is called « caser », and the move itself is the case. If a player points in a way that does not match the dice thrown, this is a fausse case (false point). Furthermore, a player who places two pieces on the same empty arrow makes a case; if he places only one on an arrow, this is called a demi-case (half-point). Cases are invulnerable and often protect demi-cases placed behind them.

Sonnez : when the dice bring up two equal numbers, the result is called a doublet. Each of the six possible doublets bears a name: « besas », the doublet of aces; « double deux », the doublet of 2; « ternes », the doublet of 3; « carmes », the doublet of 4; « quines », the doublet of 5; « Sonnez », the doublet of 6. « Besas » is a diminutive of ambesas, meaning "the two aces".

Lucky Dice, or Loaded, or Cogged : in Regnard's time, and up until the early 20th century, dice were most often made of bone, and sometimes of ivory. They were not perfect cubes and could have flaws, so that each number from 1 to 6 did not necessarily have the same probability of coming up.

Laurent Soumille, in his treatise Le Grand Trictrac, first published in Avignon in 1738, writes: « It happens that a die, without having been maliciously tampered with, will more often show a certain number than any other; this may come from various causes, such as having one side a little larger than the others, for not all are perfectly square in every direction — therefore, at all times, it is permitted to change the dice without anyone taking offense. »

Euverte de Jollyvet, in his book L'Excellent jeu du Trique Trac, first published in 1634, writes: « Those who haunt and frequent the Academies know what deceptions dice loaded with quicksilver are capable of, [ ...]  »

Toutabas practices a form of cheating that consists of slipping into the game dice matching Laurent Soumille's description, « lucky dice », and another, described by Euverte de Jollyvet, consisting of unbalancing them by loading them with mercury, « loaded or cogged dice ». The name « pipé » probably comes from a method of hunting that consists of luring birds by imitating their calls with a small pipe, or bird-call. A « pipé » die more frequently produces the number of points wanted by the cheat, just as the bird is deceived by the hunter.

My Plein Is Made : although Trictrac is a race-course game, it is not a game of speed, but a game of conquering positions. One of the most important positions is called « le plein ». Making one's plein consists of occupying the six contiguous points of the same quadrant of the board, which earns points, and for as long as the plein is kept, the player keeps scoring. Plein is a generic term. To specify in which quarter it is achieved, one speaks of « petit jan », « grand jan » and « jan de retour ». « Jan » taken on its own is the term used for any situation in the game that scores points.

Other [dice], Prudent and Wise : once a player has made his plein, he must try to keep it as long as possible, in order to continue scoring points. Since he has fifteen pieces, three of them take no part in the plein. The more small numbers he throws, the better able he will be to keep his plein for a long time, by playing only the three spare pieces. This is why Toutabas cheats by replacing the dice with other, cogged ones, more prudent and wise — in other words, ones that more often bring up small numbers.

Offering, to My Liking, Nothing but Aces Every Throw : to keep a plein, as we have just seen, generally requires the dice to bring up small numbers; since aces are the lowest of all, their usefulness is easy to understand.

Threading Twelve Holes : « l'enfilade » is the great stroke of the game of trictrac. Two edges of the board, on the players' side, are pierced with twelve holes. Each time a player scores twelve points by making jans, as we partly saw in the explanation of « mon plein est fait », he moves a peg one or two holes. The first player to reach the twelfth hole has won the game, called a « tour ».

When a player has made his grand jan — the plein of the second quadrant — and his three pieces not taking part in the plein are far enough back, he can keep his plein for a long time while ruining his opponent's game. He thus manages to score a long series of holes, called an « enfilade », which can quickly win him the tour.

Toutabas uses cogged or lucky dice to bring off the enfilade.

The enfilade, even when it does not reach all twelve holes, is a spectacular and demoralizing stroke for whoever suffers it. It is the origin of the well-known expression « être enfilée » or « se faire enfiler » (literally, "to be threaded", or "to get threaded"). Trictrac having been forgotten, the expression has become vulgar outside the game.

Palm a Die : after what has been said about cogged dice, it is clear that the cheat's exchanges of dice must be made discreetly.

Vocabulary concerning other games (highlighted in green in the excerpt) :

Brelan : Brelan, or Berlan, and sometimes Breland, is a card game in which each player is dealt only three cards. It is an ancestor of Poker, but the only possible combination is a set of three matching cards, which, as in all card games where it existed, was called a « tricon ». The popularity of the game of brelan meant that its name eventually replaced that of « tricon » during the 19th century — this was also a matter of linguistic convenience. A combination of four matching cards was then called a « brelan carré »; today it is simply called a « carré » (a four of a kind).

The name "brelan" was also given to places where games of chance were held for money. The regulars of such places were sometimes called « brelandiers ».

Brelan was a very fast betting ("renvi") game, often banned. Shortly before the French Revolution, it was slightly modified to become the game of Bouillotte. This name "bouillotte", in the sense of "kettle", comes from the speed of the game, combined with the fact that players who left the table, whether by obligation or by choice, were immediately replaced by others waiting their turn. Bouillotte was often played in drawing rooms, around a dedicated table topped with a lamp suited to the game.

Lansquenet : Lansquenet is a very old card game in which chance alone rules. Being fast-paced, many people must have lost their last possessions playing it.

Réjouissance : this is a winning chance in the game of Lansquenet.

Definitions of brelan and lansquenet in the first edition of the Dictionnaire de l'Académie française (1694):

BERLAN or Brelan. n. m. A kind of card game. He lost his money at brelan. It is also used for a public place where games of chance are played. To haunt the berlans. To forbid the brelans. To love the brelans. Brelander. v. n. To haunt the brelans, to do nothing but play games of chance, cards, and dice. It is also said of those who play heavily, even when not in a public place, but in their own homes. You do nothing but brelander. Brelandier. n. m. One who haunts the brelans, or who does nothing but play. He is a brelandier. He is a true brelandier.

LANSQUENET. This was formerly the name given to a German foot-soldier. A levy of Lansquenets. Lansquenet is also a kind of card game. To play at lansquenet.

See also :

The full text of The Gambler by Regnard  on Google Books.

The complete rules of the game of Trictrac: The Game of Trictrac

The vocabulary of Trictrac in the work of Prosper Mérimée: A Game of Trictrac

The page dedicated to the game of Lansquenet

Information about this page :

Published online on January 2, 2005
Proofread and reformatted on December 24, 2021

Author : Philippe LALANNE

Le Salon des jeux - Académie des jeux oubliés