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Origin and history of joker

joker(n.)

1729, "jester, merry fellow, one who jokes," agent noun from joke (v.). In generic slang use for "any man, fellow, chap" by 1811, which probably is the source of the meaning "odd face card in the deck" (1868), also often jolly joker. An 1857 edition of Hoyle's "Games" lists a card game called Black Joke in which all face cards were called jokers.

American manufacturers of playing-cards are wont to include a blank card at the top of the pack; and it is, alas! true that some thrifty person suggested that the card should not be wasted. This was the origin of the joker. ["St. James's Gazette," 1894]

However, Parlett ("A History of Card Games," 1991) lays out evidence that euchre, not poker, was "the game for which the joker was invented," for a form of the game involving an extra card in addition to the usual 32 in the short deck. This suggests some influence at least of the name euchre, which is based on a folk-etymologizing of the German name of the game, Jucker. The top card in euchre game was a jack (Bauer) sometimes called the Jucker.

also from 1729

Entries linking to joker

euchre(n.)

type of card game played with a partial deck, enormously popular in U.S. before the rise of bridge, by 1840, American English, especially in publications from the (then) Southwest and sometimes associated with the Dutch (Germans). In early use also uker, yucker. Encyclopedia Britannica declares it to derive from juckerspiel, an Alsatian game. The modern spelling is perhaps on the model of Eucharist.

By 1829 it also was an English spelling for yucca.

joke(v.)

1660s, "to make a joke," from joke (n.) or else from Latin iocari "to jest, joke," from iocus "joke, sport, pastime." Related: Joked; joking.

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    juggler
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    c. 1200, "separate parts of anything written" (such as the statements in the Apostles' Creed, the clauses of a statute or contract), from Old French article (13c.), from Latin articulus "a part, a member," also "a knuckle; the article in grammar," diminutive of artus "a joint" (f
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    c. 1300 (late 13c. as a surname, late 14c. as the name of a dog), "merry, cheerful, naturally of a happy disposition; comical; suggesting joy or merriment," from Old French jolif "festive, merry; amorous; pretty" (12c., Modern French joli "pretty, nice"), a word of uncertain orig
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