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Glite Dictionary
chemin de fer

chemin de fer

9.9
A casino card game like baccarat where players bet to get a total close to nine
  • noun
  • /ʃəˈmɛ̃ də ˈfɛr/
translation icon : chemin de fer
  • He enjoyed the challenge of chemin de fer, especially when betting against the banker.

Examples

  • Penny liked to play the nickel slot machines while Inge sat at a table and played baccarat or chemin de fer.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Inge said how Penny was not going to believe this, but for the first time since she had been in Verdi, she had been lucky and won a lot of money at chemin de fer.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Many high rollers prefer to play chemin de fer for its exciting pace and high stakes.

  • At the casino, we decided to try our luck at chemin de fer after watching others win.

Synonyms

baccarat
vschemin de fer
9 9.5

A casino card game where players bet on the hand closest to nine

is a particular variant of that game with a distinct playing procedure
banking game
vschemin de fer
7.3

A casino game where players bet against the house or dealer

is a specific casino card version focused on reaching a total nearest nine

Surface Forms

chemin de fer singular
chemins de fer plural

Morphology

chemin + de + fer

The literal French constituents (chemin = road/path, de = of, fer = iron) would suggest a compositional meaning like 'iron road' (railway), not a casino card game. The listed sense (a baccarat variant) is a specialized, lexicalized usage unrelated to the literal parts, so a B1 learner who knows the words would not be able to derive the card-game meaning.

Etymology

The game chemin de fer takes its name from the French words chemin 'road' and fer 'iron', which together mean 'iron road' or 'railway'. One popular story says the cards and chips moved quickly around the table like a train on a track, so people began to call this fast casino game chemin de fer.