Colour

complexion, tint; “I’ve not seen the COLOUR of his money,” i.e. , he has never paid me any. In fortune-telling by cards, a diamond colour is the fairest; heart-colour , fair, but not so fair as the last; club colour , rather dark; spade colour , an extremely swarthy complexion. Colour , a handkerchief worn by each of the supporters of a profe ional athlete on the day of a match, so as to distinguish them from the partizans of the other side. The profe ional chooses his colours, and his backers, and as many of the general public as can be persuaded to do so, take one each to wear on the eventful day, the understanding being that the man is to be paid, say, a guinea if he wins, and nothing if he loses. Some of these handkerchiefs used to be, in the palmy days of pugilism and profe ional rowing on the Thames, very fine specimens of work; but as their purveyors expected to be paid whether they won or lost, and as the price was generally about four times the intrinsic value, colours are rather shyly dealt with now. The custom is, however, a very ancient one, and such men as Tom Sayers, Tom King, Harry Kelley, and Bob Chambers have, even in these degenerate days, received very large sums for their winning colours.