# First, second ~ 1, 2 ~ ?, deuce **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 16, 2019, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-second-1-2-deuce/843532 "2019-11-16T07:26:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2019, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-second-1-2-deuce/843532/21 "2019-11-22T11:22:24Z")
“Ounce” (From a wonderful 1958 children’s book by poet Alister Reid and woodcut artist Ben Shahn called _Ounce, Dice, Trice_, that lightheartedly suggests about thirty such numbering schemes using English words). ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2019, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-second-1-2-deuce/843532/22 "2019-11-22T13:20:23Z")
> [@suretytek](#): > > Bill Gates III (yes, that Bill Gates) had the nickname “Trey”. Trey seems to be more common that one might expect. Oddly, as common as “trey” for “three” is to me, I never made the connection with the name. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2019, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-second-1-2-deuce/843532/23 "2019-11-22T13:40:08Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Well, yes, but that follows indirectly from the number, and playing cards are the only context where I’ve seen “deuce” mean “2”. Does “meaning 2” include the Beach Boys song _Little Deuce Coupe_ refering to the year 1932? A perennially favorite thread topic here at the Dope. A recent [thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=815971). And I certainly think “Drop a deuce.” as a variation for “Going number 2.” certainly qualifies. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2019, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-second-1-2-deuce/843532/24 "2019-11-22T15:39:56Z")
Also, the lyric from Bruce Springsteen’s _Blinded By the Light_, “Cut loose like a deuce, another runner in the night.” ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2019, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-second-1-2-deuce/843532/25 "2019-11-22T15:41:14Z")
Also, the lyric from Bruce Springsteen’s _Blinded By the Light_, “Cut loose like a deuce, another runner in the night,” also referring to a '32 Ford. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2019, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-second-1-2-deuce/843532/26 "2019-11-22T16:11:33Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > “Ounce” (From a wonderful 1958 children’s book by poet Alister Reid and woodcut artist Ben Shahn called _Ounce, Dice, Trice_, that lightheartedly suggests about thirty such numbering schemes using English words). “Ounce” usually means 1/12, though, not one. Usually you hear about an ounce of weight (1/12 pound), but an ace of a suit of cards. Of course an ounce may not be exactly 1/12, and the term can also be used figuratively (a little bit of something) ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2019, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-second-1-2-deuce/843532/27 "2019-11-22T17:09:45Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > “Ounce” (From a wonderful 1958 children’s book by poet Alister Reid and woodcut artist Ben Shahn called _Ounce, Dice, Trice_, that lightheartedly suggests about thirty such numbering schemes using English words). Just noticed this. “Trice” in a counting context. Hmm. Reminds me of one of my old puzzlers: What word comes next in the sequence once, twice, thrice? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2019, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-second-1-2-deuce/843532/28 "2019-11-22T20:27:24Z")
In what system of units are there 12 ounces in a pound? ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2019, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-second-1-2-deuce/843532/29 "2019-11-22T21:33:42Z")
^ Troy weight; for precious metals, etc. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2019, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-second-1-2-deuce/843532/30 "2019-11-22T22:19:23Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > “Ounce” usually means 1/12, though, not one. Usually you hear about an ounce of weight (1/12 pound), but an ace of a suit of cards. Of course an ounce may not be exactly 1/12, and the term can also be used figuratively (a little bit of something) The book JKellyMap was referring to was just playing with words. Notice he called it “lighthearted”. It didn’t seriously consider “ounce, dice, trice” a real form of counting. That said, the word _ounce_ does in fact derive ultimately from Latin word _unus_, meaning “one”. But it does so via _uncia_, one twelfth of a _libra_, the Roman pound. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2019, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-second-1-2-deuce/843532/31 "2019-11-23T01:57:38Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > The book JKellyMap was referring to was just playing with words. Notice he called it “lighthearted”. It didn’t seriously consider “ounce, dice, trice” a real form of counting. Ounce, bounce, trounce … ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2019, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-second-1-2-deuce/843532/32 "2019-11-23T06:25:21Z")
BTW, ‘inch’ is a cognate of ‘ounce’ and also means ⅟[sub]12[/sub]. \*oi-no- \> unus \> uncia \> ynce [OE] \> unche \> inch \*oi-no- \> unus \> uncia \> unce/once [OF] \> ounce Wikipedia states that the first known occurrence of OE ‘ynce’ was in the fines for knife stabbing: Stabber owed the victim one shilling per inch of stab depth (though 4th and subsequent inches were free). > [@Laws of Æthelberht](#): > > Gif man þeoh þurhstingð, stice ghwilve vi scillingas. Gife ofer ynce, scilling. æt twam yncum, twegen. ofer þry, iii scill. Google also tells me that an ‘ounce’ of time in medieval English was 7.5 seconds. But this wasn’t ⅟[sub]8[/sub] of a minute: it was ⅟[sub]12[/sub] of a 90-second ‘moment’! ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2019, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-second-1-2-deuce/843532/33 "2019-11-23T16:48:32Z")
Recipe has 1 oz thyme. Heh. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2019, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-second-1-2-deuce/843532/34 "2019-11-23T16:55:16Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Also, the lyric from Bruce Springsteen’s _Blinded By the Light_, “Cut loose like a deuce, another runner in the night,” also referring to a '32 Ford. Good one, and one of the most misread lyrics. Honestly, try as you like it’s hard to get the real lyrics from that song. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2019, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-second-1-2-deuce/843532/35 "2019-11-23T16:57:12Z")
Does “deuce” coupe refer to a double barrel carb? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2019, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-second-1-2-deuce/843532/36 "2019-11-23T18:08:24Z")
Two doors, I think. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2019, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-second-1-2-deuce/843532/37 "2019-11-23T21:37:16Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > ^ Troy weight; for precious metals, etc. A Troy ounce is a lid from a dealer named Troy. _Tres leches_ are not three leeches. Octal vision occurs when an octopod wraps tentacles over your eyes. More seriously, since ace means one, why is a pilot an ace after FIVE kills? Shouldn’t they be a quince? ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2019, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-second-1-2-deuce/843532/38 "2019-11-23T22:16:35Z")
^ I was sure there was a ST:TNG joke in there somewhere, but no luck. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2019, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-second-1-2-deuce/843532/39 "2019-11-23T22:34:18Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Does “deuce” coupe refer to a double barrel carb? According to Wikipedia (which I donated to this morning), it means 1932. > **[Little Deuce Coupe | Title and cover art](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Deuce_Coupe#Title_and_cover_art)** > > A Deuce Coupe is a 1932 Ford Coupe (deuce being for the year). This was considered by many to be the definitive "hot rod". The Model B had four cylinders and the Model 18 featured the Ford flathead V8 engine when the car was introduced. A pink slip (mentioned in the lyrics) was the title to the car, named for the color of the paper then used in California.\[citation needed\] > The picture featured on the front cover of the album was supplied by Hot Rod magazine, and features the body (with his hea... As do other sites. Funny because I always thought it meant the carb. Also mentioned here: [https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=815971](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=815971) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2019, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-second-1-2-deuce/843532/40 "2019-11-23T22:49:08Z")
^ I’ll. Be. Dipped. Much obliged, **Jackson**. (\<-- '50s term) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-second-1-2-deuce/843532.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-second-1-2-deuce/843532.md?page=3)