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knave high

Games
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Knave high, or jack high, is a poker hand in which the knave or jack is the highest card.

Detailed Definition
Knave high enters poetry as a metaphor for the clever servant or the middle rank that punches above its station. In verse it symbolizes the resourceful underling. Poets invoke the knave to explore themes of cunning advancement, the tricks of the lower ranks, and the unexpected strength that the jack can bring to a hand of fortune.
Example
Example in poetry:
Knave high, the jack as highest card, appears in poems of clever service and middle rank; Verse of the deck lets the knave stand for the resourceful underling; “He played knave high and took the trick by cunning alone” illustrates opportunistic strength; Educational poetry shows the term as the lowest of the high-card hands; Poets use the knave when intelligence must compensate for the absence of greater rank.
Additional Notes
Knave high, or jack high, places the lowest of the court cards at the top of the hand and therefore supplies poets with an image of clever service or middle-rank resourcefulness. The term’s older “knave” form carries a slight antique and potentially comic flavor. Classroom discussion can usefully examine the jack’s dual identity as both court card and trickster. Related hands include the various high-card rankings. The image works well when intelligence must compensate for the absence of greater rank.
Also Known As
jack high
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