"Curse of Scotland The Curse of Scotland is a nickname used for the Nine of Diamonds playing card. The expression has been used at least since the early 18th century, and many putative explanations have been given for the origin of this nickname for the card. In a book printed in London in 1708, ""The British Apollo, or, Curious amusements for the ingenious"", a question is posed: Q. ""Why is the"" Nine of Diamonds ""called"" the curse of Scotland? A. Diamonds as the Ornamental Jewels of a Regnal Crown, imply no more in the above-nam'd Proverb than a mark of"
"The Scottish Play The Scottish Play and The Bard's Play are euphemisms for William Shakespeare's ""Macbeth"". The first is a reference to the play's Scottish setting, the second a reference to Shakespeare's popular nickname. According to a theatrical superstition, called the ""Scottish curse"", speaking the name ""Macbeth"" inside a theatre will cause disaster. A variation of the superstition also forbids quoting it within a theatre except as part of an actual rehearsal or performance of the play. Because of this superstition, the lead character is most often referred to as the ""Scottish King"" or ""Scottish Lord"". Lady Macbeth is often"
"France where the game originated. Pope Joan refers to the legend that Pope John VIII was actually a woman. As the Catholic Church denies a female pope, the legend was used as Protestant propaganda in the Victorian-Era, which also explains the popularity of the game in Scotland. The 9 is sometimes called the Curse of Scotland. A staking board is required, with eight compartments labelled Ace, King, Queen, Jack, Game, Pope (9), Matrimony (K Q of trumps) and Intrigue (Q J of trumps). Each player receives a number of counters, or chips, whose value is determined by the players involved"
"Flag of Scotland, called ""The Saltire"" or ""Saint Andrew's Cross"", is a blue field with a white saltire. According to tradition, it represents Saint Andrew, who is supposed to have been crucified on a cross of that form (called a ""crux decussata"") at Patras, Greece. The Saint Andrew's Cross was worn as a badge on hats in Scotland, on the day of the feast of Saint Andrew. In the politics of Scotland, both the Scottish National Party and Scottish Conservative Party use stylised saltires as their party logos, deriving from the flag of Scotland. Prior to the Union the Royal"
"Stone of Scone The Stone of Scone (; , )—also known as the Stone of Destiny, and often referred to in England as The Coronation Stone—is an oblong block of red sandstone that has been used for centuries in the coronation of the monarchs of Scotland, and later the monarchs of England and those of the United Kingdom. Historically, the artefact was kept at the now-ruined Scone Abbey in Scone, near Perth, Scotland. It is also known as Jacob's Pillow Stone and the Tanist Stone, and in Scottish Gaelic, ""clach-na-cinneamhain"". Its size is approximately by by and its weight is"
"Spades (suit) Spades or (four-colour suit) is one of the four suits of playing cards in the standard French deck. It is a black heart turned upside down with a stalk at its base and symbolises the medieval weapons, the pike or halberd. In French the suit of Spades is known as the Pique and in German as the Pik. It corresponds to the suit of Leaves (""Laub"", ""Grün"", ""Schippen"" or, in Bavaria, ""Gras"") in the German suited playing cards. In Switzerland, the suit is known as ""Schuufle"" (""shovel"") and in many German regions, e.g. the Rhineland as ""Schüppe/Schippe"" (""shovel"")."
"the team's main rival, the two teams having played each other many times in their short histories. In 2000 they qualified for their first ever World Cup, but failed to make an impact, losing all three of their group matches; however, their biggest losing margin was just 12 points. In 2008 they beat Wales over two matches to qualify for the 2008 World Cup. Scotland play in a dark blue strip, similar to the nation's football and rugby union teams, with blue shirt, shorts and socks. A blue and white shield with a thistle, the Scottish emblem, is the team's"
"writers had thought it could return hair to bald heads and that in the early modern period it had been believed to be a remedy for headaches, plague, canker sores, vertigo, and jaundice. The thistle has been the national emblem of Scotland since the reign of Alexander III (1249–1286) and was used on silver coins issued by James III in 1470. It is the symbol of the Order of the Thistle, a high chivalric order of Scotland. It is found in many Scottish symbols and as the name of several Scottish football clubs. The thistle, crowned with the Scottish crown,"
"be able to buy it sometime in the Summer 2008. Instead of the Great Britain badge on the right, there will be the World Cup logo, similar to each of the ten teams shirts. The shirt is made by German sportswear company Puma. Scotland's current kit suppliers are BLK. On the shirt, Bartercard is on the front (replacing Highland Spring as of 2017) while Match Point is on the right sleeve while on the back, Caledonian Brewery is on the top while Lucozade Sport is on the bottom. The emblem of the Scotland team is the thistle, which is on"
"Nine of Swords The Nine of Swords is a Minor Arcana tarot card, also known as the Lord of Cruelty. In many countries around Europe it is used as a game card. This card has the numerical value of nine. In many countries Tarot cards are believed to tell the future, or have a divination usage. In these countries it is a very negative sign to have this card be turned. It is believed that it being turned can be instigated by others, as it might be coming up to show that one has been cruel to someone nearby. This"
"Flag of Scotland The Flag of Scotland (; ) is also known as St Andrew's Cross or the Saltire. As the national flag, the Saltire, rather than the Royal Standard of Scotland, is the correct flag for all individuals and corporate bodies to fly. It is also, where possible, flown from Scottish Government buildings every day from 8am until sunset, with certain exceptions. According to legend, the Christian apostle and martyr Saint Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland, was crucified on an X-shaped cross. Use of the familiar iconography of his martyrdom, showing the apostle bound to an X-shaped cross,"
"Hammer of the Scots (board game) Hammer of the Scots is a board game designed in 2002 by Jerry Taylor and Tom Dalgliesh and published by Columbia Games. It chronicles the Wars of Scottish Independence through roughly the time period portrayed in the film ""Braveheart"". ""Hammer of the Scots"" is a block wargame. The units are represented by wooden blocks with identifying markings on only one side. These blocks are stood up so that only the controlling player can see the identifiers, with the opposing player only seeing a blank back. This helps simulate the ""fog of war"". ""Hammer of"
"abbreviation of the suit. All the knaves are female and since tarot decks also include queens, this is the only pattern to have two ranks of females to survive to the present. All the kings and queens are seated. The trump suit contains 21 trumps numbered 1 to 20 with the lowest trump being unnumbered. The Fool is nicknamed the Fugitive. As of 2016, Modiano is the last producer of this deck. They are the same size as Neapolitan or the standard Sicilian decks. Spanish playing cards Cartas or naipes (""cards""), also known as ""Baraja española"" (""Spanish deck""), are the"
"Ace of spades The ace of spades (also known as the spadille) is traditionally the highest and most valued card in the deck of playing cards, at least in English-speaking countries. The actual value of the card varies from game to game. The ornate design of the ace of spades, common in packs today, stems from the 17th century, when James I and later Queen Anne imposed laws requiring the ace of spades to bear an insignia of the printing house. Stamp duty, an idea imported to England by Charles I, was extended to playing cards in 1711 by Queen"
"card fraud. According to the British Crime Survey, 6.4 percent of plastic card users reported being victim to fraud during 2009-10. Scots criminal law is separate to English criminal law, including the use of a not proven verdict at criminal trials in the Courts of Scotland. The list of offences is also different from England and Wales, and Northern Ireland. In 2007–8, there were 114 homicide victims in Scotland, a slight decrease on the previous year. In the third quarter of 2009, there were a little over 17,000 full time equivalent serving police officers. There were around 375,000 crimes in"
"Stone of Destiny (film) Stone of Destiny is a 2008 Scottish-Canadian historical adventure/comedy film written and directed by Charles Martin Smith and starring Charlie Cox, Billy Boyd, Robert Carlyle, and Kate Mara. Based on real events, the film tells the story of the removal of the Stone of Scone from Westminster Abbey. The stone, supposedly the Stone of Jacob over which Scottish monarchs were traditionally crowned at Scone in Perthshire, was stolen by King Edward I of England in 1296 and placed under the throne at Westminster Abbey in London. In 1950, a group of Scottish nationalist students succeeded in"
"week later Scotland registered a record win over the Wallabies, inflicting eight tries on the visitors in what was the Australian hooker Stephen Moore's final international game. Scotland won 53-24, their biggest ever margin of victory over Australia. The thistle is the national flower, and also the symbol of the Scotland national rugby union team. According to legend the ""guardian thistle"" has played its part in the defence of Scotland against a night attack by Norwegian Vikings, one of whom let out a yell of pain when he stepped barefoot on a thistle, alerting the Scottish defenders. The Latin Nemo"
"competed for the Celtic Cup, against teams from Wales and Ireland, since the inaugural event in 2006. Scotland is the ""Home of Golf"", and is well known for its courses. As well as its world-famous Highland Games (athletic competitions), it is also the home of curling, and shinty, a stick game similar to Ireland's hurling. Scotland has 4 professional ice hockey teams that compete in the Elite Ice Hockey League. Scottish cricket is a minority game. The earliest extant literature written in what is now Scotland, was composed in Brythonic speech in the sixth century and has survived as part"
"Crown of Scotland The Crown of Scotland is the crown that was used at the coronation of the monarchs of Scotland. Remade in its current form for King James V of Scotland in 1540, the crown is part of the Honours of Scotland, the oldest surviving set of Crown jewels in the United Kingdom. The crown dates from at least 1503 when, in an earlier form, it was depicted in the portrait of James IV of Scotland in the Book of Hours commissioned for his marriage to Margaret Tudor. In January 1540, King James V commissioned the royal goldsmith, John"
"French playing cards French playing cards (""jeu de cartes"") are cards that use the French suits of (clovers or clubs ), (tiles or diamonds ), (hearts ), and (pikes or spades ). Each suit contains three face cards; the (knave or jack), the (lady or queen), and the (king). Aside from these aspects, decks can include a wide variety of regional and national patterns which often have different deck sizes. In comparison to Spanish, Italian, German, and Swiss playing cards, French cards are the most widespread due to the geopolitical, commercial, and cultural influence of France and the United Kingdom"
"research, 52% of Scottish people identified as having no religion in 2016. As a result, Scotland has thus become a secular and majority non-religious country, unique to the other UK countries. The modern games of curling and golf originated in Scotland. Both sports are governed by bodies headquartered in Scotland, the World Curling Federation and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews respectively. Scots helped to popularise and spread the sport of association football; the first official international match was played in Glasgow between Scotland and England in 1872. Many Scottish surnames have become anglicised over the centuries."
"of Scotland"", with lists of their symbols and patterns. The symbols and patterns consist of animals including the Pictish Beast, the ""rectangle"", the ""mirror and comb"", ""double-disc and Z-rod"" and the ""crescent and V-rod"", among many others. There are also bosses and lenses with pelta and spiral designs. The patterns are curvilinear with hatchings. The cross-slabs are carved with Pictish symbols, Insular-derived interlace and Christian imagery, though interpretation is often difficult due to wear and obscurity. Several of the Christian images carved on various stones, such as David the harpist, Daniel and the lion, or scenes of St Paul and"
"other Orders. The Order's primary emblem is the thistle, the national flower of Scotland. The motto is ""Nemo me impune lacessit"" (Latin for ""No one provokes me with impunity""). The same motto appears on the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom for use in Scotland and some pound coins, and is also the motto of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, Scots Guards, The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada and Royal Scots Dragoon Guards. The patron saint of the Order is St Andrew. Most British orders of chivalry cover the whole United Kingdom, but the three most"
"Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ), also known by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is the national church of Scotland. It is Presbyterian and adheres to the Bible and Westminster Confession; the Church of Scotland celebrates two sacraments, Baptism and the Lord's Supper, as well as five other rites, such as confirmation and matrimony. It is a member of the World Communion of Reformed Churches. The Church of Scotland traces its roots back to the beginnings of Christianity in Scotland, but its identity is principally shaped by the Reformation of 1560. As of December 2013,"
"major card to avoid, and is called a variety of unsavoury names. Queen (playing card) The Queen is a playing card with a picture of a woman on it. In many European languages, the King and Queen begin with the same letter so the latter is often called ""Dame"" (Lady) or variations thereof. In French playing cards, the usual rank of a queen is between the King and the Jack. In tarot decks, it outranks the Knight which in turn outranks the Jack. In the Paris pattern, each court card is identified as a particular historical or mythological personage as"
"of famous Picture stones with carvings on them in Scotland. Stones of Scotland There are many large stones of Scotland of cultural and historical interest, notably the distinctive Pictish stones, but also the other types discussed below. The Stone of Scone, (pronounced 'scoon') also commonly known as the ""Stone of Destiny"" or the ""Coronation Stone"", is a block of sandstone historically kept at the now-ruined abbey in Scone, near Perth, Scotland. It was used for centuries in the coronation of the monarchs of Scotland, the monarchs of England, and, more recently, British monarchs. Ayrshire apparently is endowed with a geology"
"also occasionally issues special edition banknotes, such as a £10 note celebrating the bank's sponsorship of the Scotland team at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. Banknotes of Scotland Banknotes of Scotland are the banknotes of the Pound Sterling that are issued by the Scottish banks and in circulation in Scotland. The issuing of banknotes by retail banks in Scotland is subject to the Bank Charter Act 1844, the Banknotes (Scotland) Act 1845, the Currency and Bank Notes Act 1928, and the Coinage Act 1971. Currently, three retail banks are allowed to print notes for circulation in Scotland: Bank of Scotland, Royal"
"Suit of cups The Suit of Cups or Suit of Goblets is one of the four suits of Latin-suited playing cards. These are used in Spain (""Copas""), Italy (""Coppe"") and in tarot. The suit of hearts is derived from the suit of cups. These are sometimes referred to as chalices as well as cups. In tarot, it is part of what is called the ""Minor Arcana"". Like the other tarot suits, it contains fourteen cards: ace (one), two through ten, page, knight, queen and king. The suit represents the First Estate (the Clergy). Tarot cards are used throughout much of"
"Five of Swords Five of Swords is a Minor Arcana tarot card. Tarot cards are used throughout much of Europe to play tarot card games. In English-speaking countries, where the games are largely unknown, Tarot cards came to be utilized primarily for divinatory purposes. The figure in the foreground suggests victory, potency,and ample preparation or confidence. Also suggests unwilling or unnecessary contributions from losing parties . This card also is the ""defeat card"" in the deck. The ragged-looking and ""torn-asunder"" sky implies a frayed, shabby, and jagged celestial plane. This card can represent dangerous overconfidence, and in its reversed form"
"(in English: Bullying). In Portugal, a variation on this game is called ""Puque"" (reads as Poock, in English). The rules are almost the same, with the 2 replacing the 8 as the ""skip turn"" card. One must say Puque when one plays his next-to-last card, and doesn't have to say anything different from end with a Jack, still getting the double score. In Slovakia the game is called Faraón (Pharaoh). It is the same as in the Czech Republic with the following exceptions: A Swiss version of the game called ""Tschau Sepp"" (""Bye Joe"", because that is what you have"
"Scotland national cricket team The Scotland national cricket team represents the country of Scotland. They play their home matches at The Grange, Edinburgh. Scotland became associate members of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 1994 after severing links with the England cricket team two years earlier. Since then, they have played in three Cricket World Cups (1999, 2007 and 2015) and three ICC World Twenty20 tournaments (2007, 2009 and 2016). However, their first win in either of these events did not come until they beat Hong Kong in the 2016 World Twenty20. Scottish cricket team is governed by Cricket Scotland."
"indicates a seeming-triumph which will be ultimately calamitous. Five of Swords Five of Swords is a Minor Arcana tarot card. Tarot cards are used throughout much of Europe to play tarot card games. In English-speaking countries, where the games are largely unknown, Tarot cards came to be utilized primarily for divinatory purposes. The figure in the foreground suggests victory, potency,and ample preparation or confidence. Also suggests unwilling or unnecessary contributions from losing parties . This card also is the ""defeat card"" in the deck. The ragged-looking and ""torn-asunder"" sky implies a frayed, shabby, and jagged celestial plane. This card can"
"Spade are defined: The French word ""pique"" meant ""spear"" or ""lance"". Spades (suit) Spades or (four-colour suit) is one of the four suits of playing cards in the standard French deck. It is a black heart turned upside down with a stalk at its base and symbolises the medieval weapons, the pike or halberd. In French the suit of Spades is known as the Pique and in German as the Pik. It corresponds to the suit of Leaves (""Laub"", ""Grün"", ""Schippen"" or, in Bavaria, ""Gras"") in the German suited playing cards. In Switzerland, the suit is known as ""Schuufle"" (""shovel"")"