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You are here: Home / Language / Why is “Clubs” in a Suit of Cards in the Shape of a Black Clover and Where Did it Come From?

Why is “Clubs” in a Suit of Cards in the Shape of a Black Clover and Where Did it Come From?

February 6, 2020 by Karen Hill

Playing cards are as old as history, but the suits we use today were introduced to Britain by soldiers returning from the wars of Italy and Spain in the fourteenth century.

The Italian and Spanish cards included a suit picturing real clubs, which the French later changed to a trefoil leaf and the English to a clover.

But because they had learned the game from the Spanish and Italians, English players continued calling them “clubs.”

Card symbols are called “pips.”

Card suits in Spain and Italy are coins, cups, swords, and cudgels (clubs).

In Germany they are hearts, leaves, bells, and acorns.

In Switzerland they are shields, roses,,bells, and acorns.

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Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « What is the Religious Significance of a Deck of Cards and How Did They Originate?
Next Post: How Many Five-Card Hands Are Possible in a Deck of Fifty-Two and What is a Dead Man’s Hand? »

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