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Piquet and a king-high sequence

piquet; tierce au roi

Piquet is the card game played by Widow Gamelin and Brotteaux.

From the book

The Gods Are Athirst

Anatole France · Diotimos Editions · 2026

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Meaning

Game and phrase.

Piquet is the card game played by Widow Gamelin and Brotteaux. Tierce au roi is the announcement of a sequence of three ending at the king. The narrator’s “without shame” gives the surviving royal vocabulary a comic political edge, but does not imply that the players are making a formal royalist declaration.

Places to read

  1. Chapter VIII, paragraph 31Frenchtierce au roi: A sequence of three to the king. Ordinary gaming language retains the king.
  2. Chapter VIII, paragraph 31Frenchune partie de piquet: A game of piquet. The domestic pastime occupies the mother while Gamelin’s appointment is arranged.