Russian bank
- noun
:
banco ruso
- Russian bank is a fun card game where players try to discard all their cards first.
Examples
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He taught his sister how to play Russian bank using two decks of cards.
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We spent the evening playing Russian bank by the fireplace.
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Russian bank requires each player to focus on their own cards while racing to build the foundations.
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Have you ever played Russian bank?
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The rules of Russian bank are quite simple.
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When we had friends over, we played Russian bank for hours, enjoying the competitive spirit.
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To win at Russian bank, each player must be quick and strategic with their moves.
Synonyms
A two-player card game like solitaire where each player uses a separate deck
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is the conventional name of a specific card game whose rules are not inferable from the constituents. Knowing 'Russian' (relating to Russia) and 'bank' (dealer's fund or financial institution) would more likely lead a learner to think of a place or financial concept, not a two-player card game with separate decks, so the meaning is unpredictable to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Russian bank may get its name from the way each player has their own bank, a 'pile' of cards to manage, while both players race to 'get rid of' all their cards. The word 'Russian' was probably added because the game was popular in Russia or sounded exotic, so the name gives the image of two rival 'banks' racing to finish.
