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Literary notes about gleek (AI summary)

The term “gleek” is notably employed in literature with a dual significance that reflects both a traditional card game and an act of humorous ridicule. In many works it names a popular card game often played by three persons, where peculiar terms like “Tib,” “Tom,” and “Tiddy” denote specific cards and moves [1, 2]. Simultaneously, “gleek” also appears as a verb meaning to jest or to make sport of someone, a usage that resonates with other terms such as “gibe” and “taunt” [3, 4, 5]. Its versatility is further underscored in the writings of Ben Jonson and Shakespeare, where it serves both as a proper noun and as a descriptor of mocking behavior, thus enriching the text with a playful yet pointed connotation [6, 7, 8].
  1. [309] At Gleek, the Ace was called Tib ; the Knave, Tom ; and the Four, Tiddy .
    — from Facts and Speculations on the Origin and History of Playing Cards by William Andrew Chatto
  2. Gleek is described in "Memoirs of Gamesters," 1714, as "a game on the cards wherein the ace is called Tib , the knave Tom , the 4 of trumps Tiddy .
    — from Curiosities of Literature, Vol. 2 by Isaac Disraeli
  3. To give the gleek [Pg 261] was "to pass a jest upon, to make a person ridiculous."
    — from Shakespeare's Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
  4. [1114] To gleek is used in Shakespeare for "to make sport, to jest," &c.
    — from Reliques of Ancient English Poetry, Volume 1 (of 3) Consisting of Old Heroic Ballads, Songs and Other Pieces of Our Earlier Poets Together With Some Few of Later Date
  5. hiss, hoot, boo, gibe, flout, jeer, scoff, gleek|, taunt, sneer, quip, fling, wipe, slap in the face.
    — from Roget's Thesaurus by Peter Mark Roget
  6. GLEEK, card game played by three; party of three, trio; side glance.
    — from Epicoene; Or, The Silent Woman by Ben Jonson
  7. GLEEK, card game played by three; party of three, trio; side glance. GLICK (GLEEK), jest, gibe.
    — from Every Man in His Humor by Ben Jonson
  8. Mr. Gleek , Editor of the "Banner and Evening Gazette" and member of the Olympus .
    — from Plays of Near & Far by Lord Dunsany

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