# Re: What's the origin of the suit designations on playing cards? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [May 3, 2010, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-whats-the-origin-of-the-suit-designations-on-playing-cards/538154 "2010-05-03T15:36:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![qazwart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/5fc32e/32.png) [@qazwart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qazwart)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2010, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-whats-the-origin-of-the-suit-designations-on-playing-cards/538154/1 "2010-05-03T15:36:08Z")
In the column [What’s the origin of the suit designations on playing cards?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/276/whats-the-origin-of-the-suit-designations-on-playing-cards), Cecil espoused: > [@](#): > > Why did the French symbols become so popular? Well, they have that indefinable French cachet, I suppose. But undoubtedly the main thing is that they were easy to recognize and easy to draw. I wonder if this has to do with the fact that English nobility at that time was closely related to French nobility. After all, it wasn’t until Henry V when the English kings started to use English instead of Norman French as the royal language. Or maybe you could argue Henry IV who spoke to his subjects at his coronation in English but still spoke Norman French in the royal court. That would be in the mid 14th to early 15th century which is after the time when playing cards became widely used in Europe and England. ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2010, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-whats-the-origin-of-the-suit-designations-on-playing-cards/538154/2 "2010-05-03T17:46:45Z")
One might mention the Tarot suits, which are Swords, Cups, Coins, and Staves. (On the other hand, there are the Double Fanucci suits, which are Bugs, Lamps, Mazes, Fromps, Hives, Inkblots, Ears, Time, Scythes, Zurfs, Books, Plungers, Tops, Rain, and Faces.) ---
**Author:** ![qazwart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/5fc32e/32.png) [@qazwart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qazwart)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2010, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-whats-the-origin-of-the-suit-designations-on-playing-cards/538154/3 "2010-05-04T19:44:49Z")
> [@John\_W.Kennedy](#): > > (On the other hand, there are the Double Fanucci suits, which are Bugs, Lamps, Mazes, Fromps, Hives, Inkblots, Ears, Time, Scythes, Zurfs, Books, Plungers, Tops, Rain, and Faces.) That would be one tough deck to use for Solitaire. ---
**Author:** ![Spoc42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Spoc42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoc42)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-whats-the-origin-of-the-suit-designations-on-playing-cards/538154/4 "2010-05-05T08:06:34Z")
In Switzerland, things are different again: [ul] [li]Bells (Diamonds)[/li][li]Flowers (Hearts)[/li][li]Shields (Spades)[/li][li]Acorns (Clubs)[/li][/ul] These are used in a Swiss card game named _Jass_ (pronounced Yass, with the “a” as in “card”). They start with the seven, and there are four picture cards instead of three, plus the Ace. Please don’t ask me about the rules, especially trumping!.. ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-whats-the-origin-of-the-suit-designations-on-playing-cards/538154/5 "2010-05-05T17:49:54Z")
> [@qazwart](#): > > > [@John\_W.Kennedy](#): > > > > (On the other hand, there are the Double Fanucci suits, which are Books, Bugs, Ears, Faces, Fromps, Hives, Inkblots, Lamps, Mazes, Plungers, Rain, Scythes, Time, Tops, and Zurfs.) > > That would be one tough deck to use for Solitaire. Actually, those are just the basics, each suit with eleven cards numbered zero through nine, plus infinity, 165 cards in all. Then there are the nine Face Cards: Beauty, Death, Granola, Grue, Jester, Light, Lobster, Snail, and Time, for a total of 174. Damn! I miss Infocom! ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2010, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-whats-the-origin-of-the-suit-designations-on-playing-cards/538154/6 "2010-05-11T18:16:59Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally Posted by qazwart > > > [@](#): > > > > Originally Posted by John W. Kennedy > > (On the other hand, there are the Double Fanucci suits, which are Books, Bugs, Ears, Faces, Fromps, Hives, Inkblots, Lamps, Mazes, Plungers, Rain, Scythes, Time, Tops, and Zurfs.) > > > > That would be one tough deck to use for Solitaire. > > > > > [@John\_W.Kennedy](#): > > > > > > Actually, those are just the basics, each suit with eleven cards numbered zero through nine, plus infinity, 165 cards in all. Then there are the nine Face Cards: Beauty, Death, Granola, Grue, Jester, Light, Lobster, Snail, and Time, for a total of 174. I remember one time, I needed a Granola of Plungers to complete a straight flush but I drew the Snail of Fromps. Lost a big pot.