▪ I. † whist, n.1 Obs. rare—1.
[Imitative.]
A whistling sound, a whistle.
| 1579 Tomson Calvin's Serm. Tim. 268/2 If a sheepeheard..giue a whist with his mouthe to gather his sheepe together. |
▪ II. whist, n.2
(hwɪst)
[f. whist int.1 or v.1]
† 1. An utterance of the interjection ‘whist!’ as a command for silence. Obs.
| 1601 W. Percy Cuckqueanes & Cuckolds Errants i. iii. (Roxb.) 15 With a whist and with a Hush Hast wee both Two to the Bush. |
2. Silence: in phr. to hold one's whist, to keep silence. Irish. (Cf. whisht n. 2.)
| c 1874 D. Boucicault Shaughraun (c 1884), i. iii. 7/2 Hould your whist now! Wipe your mouth, an' give me a kiss! 1897 Barrère & Leland Dict. Slang s.v., ‘Hold your whist,’ i.e., hold your tongue, is an Irishism which has passed into English slang. 1898 M. MacDonagh Irish Life 237 'Tis yer brother that's spakin' to yez, and askin' yez to hould yer whist! |
▪ III. whist, n.3
[Altered f. whisk n.2 explained as in quot. 1680.]
a. A game of cards played (ordinarily) by four persons, of whom each two sitting opposite each other are partners, with a pack of 52 cards, which are dealt face downwards to the players in rotation, so that each has a hand of 13 cards; one of the suits (usually determined by the last card dealt, which is then turned face upwards) is trumps (see trump n.2 1); the players play in rotation, each four successive cards so played constituting a trick (trick n. 12), in which each player after the leader must follow suit if he holds a card of the suit led, otherwise may either discard or trump; the winner of a trick becomes the leader of the next trick; points are scored according to the number of tricks won, and in some forms of the game also by the honours or highest trumps (honour n. 8 a) held by each pair of partners.
dummy whist: see dummy n. 2. duplicate whist, a form of the game in which the hands played are preserved and played again by the opposing partners. long whist, a form of the game in which the score is ten points with honours counting. short whist, the form now usual in England, in which the score is five points with honours counting.
| 1663 Butler Hud. (spurious ed.) ii. i. 105 But what was this? A Game at Whist, Unto our Plowden-Canonist. 1680 Cotton Compl. Gamester (ed. 2) 83 Whist is a Game not much differing from [Ruff and Honours], only they put out the Deuces and take in no stock; and is called Whist from the silence that is to be observed in the play; they deal as before, playing four, two of a side, (some play at two handed, or three handed Whist). 1742 Walpole Corr. (1820) I. 225 Whist has spread an universal opium over the whole nation. 1758 Johnson Idler No. 33 ¶22 We sat late at whist. 1827 Lytton Pelham iii, Elderly ladies, who..liked long whist. 1829 E. M. Arnaud Epitome Whist 29 The game is won by the party whose score first amounts to ten points in Long Whist, or five in Short Whist. 1842 Lever J. Hinton ix, My little gains at short-whist. 1861 E. Dutton Cook Paul Foster's Dau. viii, I should like..a good rubber of long whist. 1885 R. A. Proctor Whist Introd. 1 Whist, properly played, is the finest of all card games. 1891 J. T. Mitchell (title) Duplicate-Whist. |
b. attrib. and Comb., as whist club, whist-like adj., whist memory, whist party, whist-play, whist-player, whist-playing n. and adj., whist-table; whist-drive, a party of progressive whist (see progressive a. 2 b) played for prizes, now often as a means of raising funds for charities.
| 1799 E. D. Clarke in Life (1824) 349, I shall..ask him, if he will..belong to our *whist club. |
| 1903 ‘Jar’ Progr. Whist 6 A *Whist Drive is a modification of Progressive Whist. 1915 T. Burke Nights in Town 179 When I received the invitation to the whist-drive at Surbiton my first thought was, ‘Not likely!’ 1924 [see institute n.1 4]. 1959 [see community centre s.v. community 11]. 1977 Lancs. Life Nov. 73/1 They raised the money themselves (with hot pot suppers, whist drives, amateur drama and dances). 1981 G. Markstein Ultimate Issue 196 In the lobby of the officers' club the wives were having a whist drive. |
| 1837 Dickens Pickw. xxxv, Two other ladies of an ancient and *whist-like appearance. |
| 1886 Cavendish Whist 136 With practice, you will acquire what may be termed ‘*whist memory’. |
| 1744 S. Fielding Adv. David Simple I. ii. i. 144 One of the Ladies, who was of the *Whist-Party the Night before. 1828 Sir R. Peel Priv. Lett. (1920) 109 A whist party consisting of the Duke of Wellington, Mrs. Arbuthnot, Lord Westmorland, Lady A. Beckett. 1861 Lever One of them xxvii, His notion is, that life, like a whist-party, requires an accomplice. |
| 1888 Encycl. Brit. XXIV. 544/2 All rules of *whist-play depend upon..general principles. |
| 1744 S. Fielding Adv. David Simple I. ii. i. 147 Your Curiosity seems to be fully satisfied with what you have seen of the *whist-players. 1770 in Alex. Carlyle's Autobiog. (1910) 560 He makes a very good livelihood..by betting on the whist-players. 1824 Miss Mitford Village Ser. i. Country Cricket-Match, Feeling what a whist-player feels when he takes up four honors, seven trumps! 1837 Dickens Pickw. vi, The whist-players were Mr. Pickwick and the old lady; Mr. Miller and the fat gentleman. |
| 1837 Lockhart Scott IV. i. 7 A few *whist-playing brother officers, that met for an evening rubber at Fortune's tavern. 1842 Dickens Amer. Notes ii, There was less whist-playing than might have been expected. |
| 1753 Scots Mag. XV. 36/1 Her absence rendered one *whist-table useless. 1877 Mrs. Forrester Mignon i, There were whist tables in the library if any one cared to play. |
Hence (nonce-wds.) whist v. (a) trans. to play out (a card) at whist; (b) intr. to play whist; ˈwhister, a whist-player; ˈwhisthood, age or state of ability to play whist; ˈwhisty a., addicted to whist.
| 1810 Splendid Follies III. 6 She generally whisted out kings before aces, and revoked every deal. 1827 Lady Granville Lett. (1894) I. 433 Talking, singing, whisting. 1854 Chamb. Jrnl. 2 Dec. 353/2 Young ladies, nearly arrived at whisthood. 1860 All Year Round No. 47. 482/2 Your erring mortal, your whister,..rash with his aces, and a niggard of some beggarly small trump. 1884 J. Middlemass Pois. Arrows ix, The whisty old colonel. 1890 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Col. Reformer xxii, Bankers..in great force.., musical bankers, and bankers that danced, bankers that billiarded and whisted. |
▪ IV. whist, a.1 arch. and dial.
(hwɪst)
Also 6 whyst(e, whiste.
[f. whist int.1 Cf. hust, whisht, whusht adjs.]
Silent, quiet, still, hushed; making no sound; free from noise or disturbance. (Usually pred.)
Also advb. = silently, quietly, without noise.
| 14.. Chaucer's Boeth. ii. met. v (MS. B. Mus.) Þo weren þe cruel clariouns ful whist [MS. Camb. hust] and ful stille. 1513 Lydgate's Chron. Troy i. viii. E j b, Than Pelleus whan al was whyste [MSS. huscht, hust, husshte] and styll, Began ryght thus. 1528 Roy Rede me (Arb.) 65 Kepe thou silence and be whyst..For a lytell season. 1588 Greene Pandosto C 1 b, The Noblemen seeing the King in choler, were all whist. 1590 ― Never Too Late Wks. (Grosart) VIII. 228 The blythe and wanton windes are whist & still. 1610 Shakes. Temp. i. ii. 379 Curtsied when you haue, and kist the wilde waues whist. 1615 G. Sandys Trav. 307 In nights whist calme. 1629 Milton Hymn Nativ. v, The Windes, with wonder whist, Smoothly the waters kist. 1682 Flatman Heraclitus Ridens No. 70 (1713) II. 179 Some few Relations..stand whist and silent, expecting the minute when she should depart. 1700 J. Brome Trav. Eng., Scot. ii. (1707) 83 All was very whist and still. 1819 J. R. Drake Culprit Fay ii, The winds are whist, and the owl is still. 1890 Bridges Shorter Poems iv. xxviii. v, The huge unclouded sun, Surprising the world whist, Is all uprisen thereon. 1907 Daily Chron. 8 Apr. 4/6 The word ‘whist’ has still its..signification of silence in Kent, though it is pronounced ‘wist.’ This writer, not long ago, was threatening to come in late..to a country cottage lodging. ‘You'll come in wist?’ said the lady of the house. |
b. Keeping silence in relation to something; saying nothing about the matter.
| 1577 Stanyhurst Descr. Irel. 6/1 in Holinshed, If he heard them, thinke you that he would haue beene whist, in hearing God so far blasphemed? 1609 J. Davies Holy Rood Wks. (Grosart) I. 8/1 The heau'ns are whist, whiles hell reuiles their Lord. c 1650 in 12th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. App. ix. 140 Yet they can silent be, though, when they list, On Charles his Martyrdome they are all whist. 1880 Mrs. Whitney Odd or Even? vii. 59 The Heybrooks were whist folks about their concerns. |
c. transf. Attentive. nonce-use.
| [1580 Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 283 All were whist to heare my iudgement.] 1890 Bridges Shorter Poems iv. ii. iv, My jealous ears grew whist. |
▪ V. whist, a.2
(dial.): see wisht.
▪ VI. whist, v.1
Also 6 whyst. Pa. tense and pple. whisted, whist.
[f. whist int.1]
1. intr. To become or be silent, cease or refrain from speaking, hold one's peace, keep silence. arch. and dial.
In the imperative coinciding with whist int.1, q.v.
| a 1547 Surrey æneis ii. 1 They whisted all with fixed face attent. 1593 G. Harvey Pierce's Super. Wks. (Grosart) II. 79 Whist sory pen, and be aduised how thou presume aboue the highest pitch of thy possibility. 1856 P. Kennedy Banks of Boro xli. (1867) 336 Can't you whist? a 1859 L. Hunt Shewe faire Seeming x, They whist, and still'd their joyous crowd. |
† b. trans. To be silent about, pass over in silence, keep secret. Obs.
| 1570 T. Wilson Demosthenes 35 All these matters are now whist and kept in. 1573–80 Tusser Husb. (1878) 150 What ere he doth none ought dare say, but whist. 1594 O. B. Quest. Profit. Concern. 31 b, It seemed better vnto him to let fall his revenge, and to whist the matter. |
† 2. trans. To put to silence, to hush. Hence whisted ppl. a., hushed, silent. Obs.
| a 1541 Wyatt Poems, Compl. upon Love to Reason 145 Dere Lady: now we waite thyne onely sentence. She smiling, at the whisted audience: It liketh me (quod she) [etc.] 1596 Spenser F.Q. vii. vii. 59 So was the Titaness put downe and whist. 1602 Marston Ant. & Mel. i. B 2 b, The breath of darknesse, fatall when 'tis whist In greatnes stomacke; this same smoake, call'd pride. |
▪ VII. † whist, v.2 Obs. rare.
[Imitative. (Perh. error for whister.)]
intr. To whisper, murmur.
| a 1555 Bradford in Coverdale Cert. Godly Lett. (1564) 478 No man may be admitted once to whist agaynste them. |
▪ VIII. whist, int.1 Now dial.
(hwɪst)
Also 6 whyst, whuist, quist, 9 Sc. wheest.
[A natural utterance enjoining silence: cf. hist, hust, ist, st, also husht, whisht.]
An exclamation to command silence: Hush! (Coinciding with the imperative of whist v.1 1.)
| 1382 Wyclif Judges xviii. 19 Thei answerden, Whist [v.rr. Whisht, Whischt; 1388 Be thou stille], and put fynger vpon thi mouth. 1575 A. F. Virg. Bucol. v. 14 Leaue of, whyst, say no more. 1593 G. Harvey Pierce's Super. Wks. (Grosart) II. 89 If..your tongue [be] soe laxatiue,..whuist a while. 1598 R. Bernard tr. Terence, Adelphos iii. ii, Quist. quist, what man, art thou well in thy wits? 1611 J. Davies Worthy Persons Wks. (Grosart) II. 58/2 Whist, and me attend. 1611 Cotgr., Houische,..husht, whist, ist, not a word for your life. 1762 Sterne Tr. Shandy V. i, Whist!—cried one—st, st,—said a second—hush, quoth a third—poo, poo, replied a fourth—gramercy! cried the Lady Carnavallette. 1834 Marryat Peter Simple xiii, Whist—hold your tongue—you've not heard the end of it. 1859 H. Kingsley G. Hamlyn xxxix, When I came to the door Donovan took me by the arm, and saying ‘whist’, led me into the sitting-room. 1891 Alex. Gordon Folks o' Carglen 54 ‘Whist, whist,’ cried Francie. 1894 Lyttle Betsy Gray iii, Wheest, man, or ye'll wauken up the waen! |
▪ IX. whist, int.2
Imitation of the sound of a whistle.
| 1861 Ld. Haddo in Mem. xv. (1873) 212 It was puff, puff,—whist, whist;—and we were under weigh. a 1896 in Life & Lett. Millais (1899) II. 408, I said to a beautiful young person in the bar, ‘I want a bedroom with a fire in it.’ Off she went to a pipe, and said, ‘Whist! No. 238 and a fire.’ |