noun 1. Two ones; the lowest throw at dice; a pair of aces.
2. Bad luck.
EXAMPLE SENTENCES
"I came within ames-ace of winning the game, but I lost in the last round."
"Ames-ace seemed to follow me during the bachelor party trip to Vegas."
"I needed to throw a five and a one to win, but I threw ames-ace."
French, 13th century
Why This Word?
Variations of "ames-ace" have appeared in various spellings over the centuries. The word, which means both "bad luck" and either a pair of aces or a roll of dice for two ones, can be spelled "ambsace" or "ambs-ace" in modern usage. It was "ambbes aas" and "aumbys as" in pre-14th-century texts, "almesace" in the 1500s, and "alms-ace" and "ammez-ace" in the 1600s.
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