card of ten
- noun
- She bought a card of ten bus rides to save money on her commute.
Examples
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Many cafes offer a card of ten coffees so regular customers get a free drink after ten purchases.
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The theater's card of ten tickets came at a discounted rate for frequent visitors.
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I bought a card of ten for the local cinema.
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Have you ever used a card of ten for public transport?
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Many cafes offer a card of ten coffees so regular customers get a free drink after ten purchases.
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She bought a card of ten bus rides to save money on her commute.
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The theater's card of ten tickets came at a discounted rate for frequent visitors.
How Many Uses
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense 'a card allowing ten purchases' is directly compositional from 'card' (a payment or access token) combined with 'of ten' indicating quantity; there is no idiomatic or metaphorical shift. This straightforward noun + of + numeral pattern is common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
The phrase card of ten comes from old punch or stamp cards used in shops and cafes. A card had ten small boxes that were stamped each time someone bought something, and when all the ten boxes were full the holder got a 'free' item, so today card of ten means a prepaid or discounted set of ten purchases.