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DEUCE, DOOZY, DAISY and DUCE

As I came to see DEUCE and DUCE more frequently in the word games we play, I thought they were just two spellings of the same word -- maybe one was American English and the other was British -- but they are not even close.  A DEUCE is a two, or specifically the face of a die that shows two spots.  It does not seem to apply generally to a pair of something, as you would never say a deuce of shoes or a deuce of daisies.  

Another set of expressions uses "deuce" as the devil, as in "there's the deuce to pay," suggesting a lot of trouble is coming.  I have also heard, "to the deuce with you."  Deuce = Devil in these cases.

A less common usage is for "deuce" to mean something remarkable, as in "a deuce of a situation."  Merriam Webster's definition 3b is: "something notable of its kind", and their example is: "a deuce of a mess."  This fits with deuce as the devil.  It's not unheard of to say "a devil of a mess."  But these always seem to fit situations to me.  I have not heard a deuce of a bird for a special bird or a deuce of a cat unless it's acting like a little devil.

Is DEUCE related to DOOZIE?  This slang word (also DOOZY) suggests a thing is unbelievable, incredible, remarkable.  As in, "The lie he just told was a doozy."  Oxford has an unknown etymology, but possibly from DAISY.  With DOOZER as a related word I had never heard of.

Was there a time when you might call some one or some thing a daisy?  Merriam-Webster does have a meaning for DAISY as "a first-rate person or thing."  And the Scrabble Players Dictionary suggests that it can sometimes be a verb, since it accepts DAISIED.

But DUCE has one meaning: head honcho, boss, ruler.  It was most famously applied to Benito Mussolini, who was known as "Il Duce".  Pronounced "Doo-chay."

One of the first albums I remember hearing when I was a kid was "Little Deuce Coupe" by the Beach Boys.  Interestingly, it turns out the the deuce here refers to the 2 in the year 1932, where the 1932 Ford Coupe was a highly sought-after hot rod in the 50's.

If you need more words starting with these letters, DEUCE can be a verb when playing tennis, so when bringing a score to a tie you can use DEUCED and DEUCING.

The Scrabble Players Dictionary also has DEUCEDLY for "extremely", but I would put that down as one of the clumsiest adverbs ever.

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