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Glite Dictionary
auction pitch

auction pitch

9.9
A card game where the first card played decides which suit wins over others
  • noun
  • Archaic
translation icon : subasta de cartas
  • In auction pitch, the player who wins the bid leads the first card, establishing the trump suit.

Examples

  • Many families in the Midwest have a tradition of gathering for games of auction pitch during the holidays.

  • They spent the afternoon playing auction pitch with friends at the community center.

  • We played auction pitch all night long.

  • Have you ever tried auction pitch?

  • In auction pitch, players take turns leading cards, and the highest bid determines the trump suit.

  • During family gatherings, we always enjoy playing auction pitch, a fun card game that brings everyone together.

  • At the community center, they organized a tournament of auction pitch to encourage social interaction among locals.

Synonyms

pitch
vsauction pitch
  • US
3 8.6

A card game where players win points by taking tricks

is a specific variant based on all-fours rather than the general game

Surface Forms

auction pitch singular
auction pitches plural

Morphology

auction + pitch

The compound is compositional: 'auction' (a bidding procedure) modifies 'pitch' (a trick-taking card game), so it straightforwardly denotes a variant of Pitch that uses an auction/bidding mechanism. A B1 learner who knows both constituent words would likely infer it is a type of Pitch involving auctions, even if they might not predict the exact technical rule about the first card led determining trumps.

Etymology

Auction pitch gets its name from two ideas: auction, because players bid for the right to play first, and pitch, an old word for throwing or dealing cards. The player who wins the bid then 'leads' the first card, setting the 'trump suit', so the name shows how the game works.