my dad said to me the other day,that it was a "dot on the card" that something was going to happen.ive used this before aswell,i kno it means that something is definalty going to happen,but where does the saying come from?
2006-10-17 04:20:58 · 18 answers · asked by Mistress j 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Mythology & Folklore
i sed the same thing to my dad donna-i thought it was when u punched yr work ticket,so then its a certaintly that you have been there.but the gambling thing sounds plausable too....any one else hve a clue?
2006-10-17 11:13:57 · update #1
My Grandmother used to say something very similar. She said that it was talking about a dance card. Apparently, she said that in Canada in her home town, they used the old tradtion of dance cards because it was a socially acceptable form of entertainment and the dance card didn't make anyone feel left out. It was a sort of a mixer with no set dance partners and she said that they used thier fingerprint to dot the card, (I guess pencils were too cumbersome for a small farming community). So a bit of beet-juice dye on a finger was your mark. So a dot on the card (for her) meant that you had a secured date for the next dance, so it was a sure thing.
Looking at the other responses, it seems to mean the same thing (a sure thing), but in completely different contexts. Interesting.
2006-10-17 05:04:05 · answer #1 · answered by simplyastra 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It might be to do with gambling: none of the honest players will know which card is coming out next.
But the cheating player does, because he or she has marked a tiny dot in the pattern on the back of the card, so small that you wouldn't notice if you didn't know it was there. One important card might be doctored, or all the cards could be marked in this way, with the dot appearing in different parts of the pattern for each. The whole pack could be 'read like a book'.
I don't know if this method of cheating has ever been used in real life, but it's one reason why the gamblers in films always insist that the pack should be freshly opened at the start of their big game.
(the offer to 'mark your card' about something is different; it comes from social balls, where the girls would compete to get the best guys on their dance card (like an appointment book for the evening); to have your card marked meant that you knew what you were doing in advance.)
Could also be from Filing.
Before databases, cards in an index file would be marked with different coloured dots to cross-reference categories.
2006-10-17 04:38:16 · answer #2 · answered by Fitology 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is the same as saying "Your cards are marked" - when people play card games - and cheat - they do so by marking the cards on the back with a dot - so you know what is in each hand, for example. The expression "your cards were marked" has come to mean something that was a dead certainty - because it was so obvious you could see it - ie it was going to happen anyway, no matter what you did. hope this helps!
2006-10-17 04:35:17 · answer #3 · answered by Miss Behavin 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
coloquial reference to the Black Spot from Treasure Island, you know...that insepid book that was written about pirates and such. The Black Spot was a mark given to pirates who "broke the code" as it were. Kind of kin to receiving a supeona for a court case in more modern times.
According to the book, if you were given a piece of paper with a Black dot or spot on it, the pirate guild had learned of your disloyalty and were planning to come after you or kill you or both.
More recently it has been adapted into slang to imply you have done something improper and are now cursed or being sought after for retribution.
2006-10-17 06:25:52 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have tried looking it up and haven't had any luck finding anything about where the saying came from. The only thing I found for it was that it means certainty. Sorry not much help.
2006-10-17 04:32:58 · answer #5 · answered by Lori D 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm betting it is an old family saying. Every family has words or phrases that they use - some from the small children, some slips of the tongue. I think that you have a family treasure here.
2006-10-17 05:40:22 · answer #6 · answered by swarr2001 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
if you are talking about " the black spot " this was a sign that the person was going to be put to death. back in the days of pirates the black spot was given to those who violated the codes which were agreed upon. not certain if this was what you were looking for but hope it helps some
2006-10-17 07:04:09 · answer #7 · answered by Marvin R 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Apparently it originates from the work environment and refers to punching in at work, as in punching your card.
2006-10-17 04:51:30 · answer #8 · answered by donna ellen 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
could have something to do with the old tradition of marking a girls dance card. when you put your name or mark on their card it meant that you were entitled to or owed a dance by that particular girl. not sure but could be.
2006-10-18 03:52:22 · answer #9 · answered by sandgoanna 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No Idea.Has it got something do with Morse code once used in telegraphy?
2006-10-17 04:31:52 · answer #10 · answered by openpsychy 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋