For space, readability and message wording is purposefully kept tight. This means that terms, acronyms and/or abbreviations may require some explanation.
This Glossary should contain most bridge witticisms, for more common urban terms or words check out one of the online urban dictionaries such as http://www.urbandictionary.com/.
While I am on thin ice trying to define "level of play" into categories such as beginner, intermediate, advanced, life master, expert or world class, certain characteristics of a level might help with realistic expatiations on agreements or cardplay techniques.
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hcp – high card points
lp – length points
dp – distribution points
+ – more or better or greater e.g. 5+ spades means five or more spades; 15+ hcp means 15 or more hcp or LR+ means limit raise or better values, etc.
- – less or fewer
/ – or 1H/1S means 1 ♥ or 1 ♠
g15 hcp – good 15 hcp
b10 hcp – bad 10 hcp
-1 – down one (is good bridge)
-2 – down two (is not so good bridge)
-3 – down three (can't be good bridge)
-4 – down four (see WWYT)
ABNUF – any bid not understood is forcing (one round).
T1 – the first trick (opening lead trick), T2 - the second trick, T3 - the third trick, etc.
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ACBL – see American Contract Bridge League
advanced player – While ACBL runs I/N restricted tournament games up to 750 masterpoints, anyone beyond 199 masterpoints or anyone actively working for Life Master should certainly be considered advanced.
advanced+ player – Anyone beyond 450 masterpoints or anyone learning 2/1 Game Force or adding extra conventions/agreements such as Bergen Raises, Drury, New Minor Forcing, Fourth Suit Forcing, etc.
American Contract Bridge League - http://www.acbl.org/
BBO – see Bridge Base Online
beginner (newcomer) - Anyone who is trying to learn the basics of the game. ACBL defines beginner games as 0-20 masterpoints.
beginner plus - Might be between 20-50 masterpoints.
boss-trump – is the winning trump typically when there is one remaining trump high trump remaining outstanding
Bridge Base Online – http://www.bridgebase.com/
BTW – by the way
busy work – Non productive strategy of just winning tricks (because they are there) when these tricks could be won at any time. Typically, players employ busy work when they don't have a clear strategy (don't know what to do next). Busy work does not apply to a strategy of cashing winners to account for suit holdings or holdings in opponents hands.
coup – a special/clever play maneuver (e.g., trump coup or coup en passant)
coup en passant – the lead of a plain suit card to promote a low trump behind a higher trump to a winning position. (see elopement and trump coup)
cuebid – While the most common form of a cuebid is a bid of an opponent's suit, technically, a cuebid is any bid of a suit not intend to play as trump.
DD – double dummy
disciplined preempts – [def TBA]
down one (-1), down two (-2), down three (-3), etc.
[the] Don Buchanan – it is almost always right to take the opening lead finesse, letting the opening lead come all the way around to declarer's hand i.e., there should be a special reason for winning or attempting to winning the opening lead in dummy.
double dummy - technically double dummy is two players, each having a dummy, and thus, knowing the exact location of every card from observation of your hand and the two exposed dummy hands, but generally it means being able to see all four hands and the location of all cards.
elopement – coup by which a player scores a trick/s with trumps that would not ordinarily have sufficient rank to take a trick. (see coup en passant)
en passant (an pas-sant) – chess term from the French literally "in passing"; plural is en passants. (see coup en passant)
Encyclopedia of Bridge – Encyclopedia of Bridge
GiB – Ginsberg's Intelligent Bridge Player is bridge analytical software (the robot program used on BBO).
hcp – high card points
HHJB – Hilton Head Junior Bridge
I/N – intermediate/novice or intermediate/newcomer
intermediate player – beyond novice/newcomer (0-20 masterpoints) up to maybe 199'er games.
intermediate cards – body cards of 7s, 8s, 9s and 10s
killing the dummy – Leading a suit to prematurely take entries away to dummy, and thus, isolating (or killing) the dummy.
Law of Total Tricks – In a competitive auction (when the points are relatively divided in the range of 17 v. 23 hcp) the Law or LoTT states the total number of trumps will approximate the number of tricks available on that deal. (See Larry Cohen, To Bid or Not to Bid: The LAW of Total Tricks)
loser on a loser – The strategy of collapsing two losers (one in one suit and one in another suit) into one loser whereby both losers are played on the same losing trick, and thus, collapsing two losers into one loser.
Losing Trick Count – TBA
LoTT – Law of Total Tricks
LTC – see Losing Trick Count
major suit checkback – see Wolff Signoff
Minimum Offshape Takeout Double – [def TBA] (see Savannah Double)
opening lead finesse (see Don Buchanan) – letting the opening lead come all the way around to declarer's hand, and thus, finessing LHO and forcing RHO to attempt to win the trick.
novice – see beginner
NTWC – not the worst contract
opening hand – A typical opening hand has values of 12-14 hcp and 7 losers.
opening hand - solid – A solid opening hand is a good 13 to 14 or maybe 15 hcp with well placed honors working together in long suits and good shape of 6-7 losers. see LTC
par (optimum score) – The Encyclopedia of Bridge defines par as “the result on a hand if both sides have done as well as possible” using a double dummy analysis. This implicitly includes both bidding and play. In other words, a par contract has been reached when neither side can improve their score by bidding again.
preemptive bid – An opening preemptive bid is a high level bid (3-level or higher) made with length in a suit (usually 7+ cards), limited high-card strength (not enough for an opening bid) and limited defensive strength depending upon partnership agreements, maybe no outside ace or king. (see Rule of 234, disciplined preempts and undisciplined preempts, also see weak two-bids)
quacks – queens and jack either in short suits or not supported by other honors and thus not carrying the weight of their high card points.
red vs. red (equal vulnerability) - see white vs. red.
red vs. white (unfavorable vulnerability) - see white vs. red.
(rotated) – deal was rotated for presentation purposes to place declarer in the South position
ruff and sluff – literally "trump and discard" allows opponents, who are each void in the same side suit, to trump in one hand and discard a loser from the other hand.
Rule of 234 - TBA.
safety play – The term safety play can contextually cover different situations such as a line of play that guarantees the contract against any lie of defenders' cards or the play that will give you the best chance of making the contract. In general use a safety play is the best play in the context of the whole deal. David Bird and Tim Bourke
Savannah Double – A Minimum Offshape Takeout Double (see ACBL Conventional Wisdom), almost considered standard bridge in the Savannah Bridge Club.
support points (dummy points) – can be used when supporting partner's suit hcp plus doubleton = 1, singleton = 3, void = 5.
trump promotion – The defensive strategy of creating a trump trick/s by forcing the premature use of trump cards ... one of the strategies of achieving a trump promotion is coup en passant so as to make trump tricks by position, playing behind the opponent who needs to trump. (see uppercut)
undisciplined preempts – [def TBA]
uppercut – [def TBA]
wasted values – Where values are not in long suits and/or working with other honors.
weak two-bids – [def TBA]
white vs. red (favorable vulnerability) – Refers to the vulnerability of the two partnerships white = not-vulnerable and red = vulnerable, thus, white vs. red is favorable vulnerability.
white vs. white (equal vulnerability) - see white vs. red.
Wolff Signoff – After a jump rebid to 2NT, 1m - 1M | 2NT showing a strong balanced hand of 18-19 hcp 3♣ is a relay to 3♦ allowing responder to signoff below game level. Many would play that 3♦ is major suit checkback much like New Minor Forcing asking opener to further define his hand.
WWYT – what were you thinking
