discard (diskard)

[Sp. Pg. descartar = It. scart are, discard, reject, dismi ; as dis discard + card1. Cf. decard.] I. trans. 1. In card playing: (a) In some games, to throw aside or reject from the hand, as a card dealt to the player which by the laws of the game is not needed or can be exchanged. (b) In other games, as whist, to throw away on a trick, as a card (not a trump) of a different suit from that led, when one cannot follow suit and cannot or does not wish to trump. Having ace, king, queen, and knave of a suit not led, you would discard the ace. Pole, Whist, v. 2. To dismi , as from service or employment; cast off. They blame the favourites, and think it nothing extraordinary that the queen should... resolve to discard them. Swift . Their [the Hydes'] sole crime was their religion; and for this crime they had been discarded . Macaulay , Hist. Eng., vi. 3. To thrust away; reject: as, to discard prejudices. I am resolv'd: grief, I discard thee now; Anger and fury in thy place must enter. Beau , and Fl . (?), Faithful Friends, iii. 3. Still, though earth and man discard thee, Doth thy Heavenly Father guard thee. Whittier, Mogg Megone, iii. =Syn. 2. To turn away, discharge. II. in trans. In card - playing , to throw cards out of the hand. See I. In discarding from a suit of which you have full command, it is a convention to throw away the highest. Pole, Whist, iv. discard (dis-kärd'), n . [ discard , v .] 1. In card playing: ( a ) The act of throwing out of the hand such cards as are unnece ary in the game, or of playing, as in whist, a card not a trump of a different suit from that led. In the modern game, your first discard should be from a weak or short suit. Pole, Whist, ii. (b) The card or cards thrown out of the hand. The discard must be placed face downwards on the table, apart from the stock and from the adversary's discard . Cavendish, Whist. Hence-2. One who or that which is cast out or rejected. [Rare.] The discard of society, living mainly on strong drink, fed with affronts, a fool, a thief, the comrade of thieves. R. L. Stevens on, Pulvis et Umbra. discardment (dis-kärd'ment), n. [ discard + -ment.] The act of discarding. [Rare.] Just at present we apparently are making ready for another discardment . Science, VII. 295.