THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY.........................

• Pick up : a term which originates from the gay bridge clubs in Amsterdam, where members spend most of time seeking out and capturing unattached queens
• Deviation : a psych(e) that has not cut its teeth. An habitual psycher's nearest approach to an honest bid
• Psych(e) : a vicious and ferocious lie designed to inflict maximum damage on unsuspecting opponents
• Serial psycher : a prolific liar who erroneously believes he is entitled to a roving commission to bid what he likes
• Holding : an account where money bequeathed to bridge organisations sits indefinitely, never to be spent on the items specified in the will. Money seemingly left in a permanent state of unspent limbo.
• Chairman : the leading figure in any club, who is usually elected on the backs of the apathetic majority and the active gerrymandering tactics of the minority
• Pull : Either (i) a procedure used by flash players of the male sex to get talented unmarried women to become their partners, or (ii) something that most frustrated players do to their face or their hair, when despairing of their inept partners
• Support double : a useful gadget and item of clothing , immensely popular with lady players of great stature
• HUM : a noise which many players, prone to using highly unusual methods , start to make when trying to convey hand information across to their partners