Knave (pronounced neyv)
(1) An unprincipled, untrustworthy, or dishonest
person. A rogue (archaic).
(2) A card (1 x hearts, diamonds, clubs, spades)
in the standard fifty-two card pack of playing cards. Also known as the Jack, the choice of word
being sometimes used as an indicator either of class or geographical origin.
(3) A male servant of the lower ranks (archaic).
(4) A man of humble position (archaic).
Pre 1000: From the late Old English cnafa (boy, male child; male servant) from the Proto-Germanic knabon- (source also of the Old High German knabo (boy, youth, servant) and the German knabe (boy, lad)) and thought likely related to the Old English cnapa (boy, youth, servant), the Old Norse knapi (servant boy), the Dutch knaap (a youth, servant), the Middle High German knappe (a young squire) and the German Knappe (squire, shield-bearer). The ultimate origin is a mystery, the most popular speculation being "stick, piece of wood". Knave, knavess & knavery are nouns, knavish is an adjective and and knavishly is an adverb; the noun plural is knaves.
Cards and class
The sense of a "rogue or rascal" emerged circa 1200, thought probably reflective of a the (ever-present) societal tendency to equate the poor and “those of low birth" with poor character and propensity to crime, English poet & satirist Alexander Pope (1688-1744) in Essay on Man (1732-1734), capturing the feeling: “From the next row to that whence you took the knave, take the seven; from the next row take the five; from the next the queen. To show mercy towards such a knave is an outrage to society!” Despite that however, in Middle English didn’t lose the non-pejorative meaning, a knave-child (from the Scottish knave-bairn) being a male child. The use in playing cards began in the 1560s, a knave being always the lowest scoring of the court cards.
Lindsay Lohan's Royal Routine (Ace down to the 10 in one suit) in The Parent Trap (1998). The most desirable of the 40 different straight flush possibilities, under standard poker rules, the odds against holding a Royal Routine are 649,739:1 whereas those of any straight flush are a more accessible 72,192:1. The difference in the math is there are fewer cards available for a Royal Routine to be assembled.
The use of Jack in cards came from the influence
of French. What the French called a
valet, the English knew as a knave (in the sense of a young, male servant). During the seventeenth century the French started
to call such staff “Jack” apparently on the basis of it being a common name
among the serving class; it was also the name used for the Knave of trumps at the
game All Fours. Although it appears widely
to have been played by all classes, All Fours suffered, perhaps because it was
a quick, trick-taking game, the reputation of being something enjoyed only by
the lower classes and the choice of “knave” or “jack” came to be treated as a
class-signifier, Charles Dickens (1812-1870) in Great
Expectations (1860-1861) having Estella express scorn for Pip’s use of the latter. The class-consciousness in English extends to
the adoption of the German Bauer (farmer
or peasant), as Bower, collectively to describe (usually when a pair of trumps
(by color)) the Jacks in some games.
Knave survived in widespread use well into the twentieth century but US
cultural influence has rendered it now mostly obsolete except for a few games
where it persists and possibly among those who prefer a dish of tea to a cup.
In packs of cards, Knave (marked Kn) was used
until Jack (J) became entrenched after 1864 when, US card-maker Samuel Hart published
a deck using J instead of Kn to designate the knave to avoid
confusion with the visually similar King (marked K). Historically, in some southern Italian,
Spanish and Portuguese decks, there were androgynous knaves sometimes referred
to as maids. This tradition survives
only in the Sicilian Tarot deck where the knaves are unambiguously female and
always known as maids.
Tarot
The Jack of Hearts signifies an honest young man
in love. He is attractive, kind and generous, the card often announcing a new and
intimate friendship. As a lover, the Jack of Hearts is trustworthy, even when
absent he will be faithful. Committed
and sincere, he's a most eligible bachelor.
The Jack of Spades card indicates a young man of
dark complexion, cunning and devious.
Intelligent, brilliant even, but cynical and exploitative, he will use
you and walk away. The Jack of spades is
a sign you will face adversity from a ruthless person; he cannot be trusted.
The Jack of Diamonds represents the
Messenger, symbolising also an unfaithful assistant or dishonest employee. The
Jack of diamonds is a young man who comes and goes, taking more than is
permitted and although quick-witted and cunning, is not trustworthy.
The Jack of clubs means a good friend. Although flirtatious, he is a sincere, skilful
and brave young man. For a woman, this
card represents her fiancé but for a man, it means a more successful and richer
rival. This card also signifies education and intelligence.
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