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| publisher = [[New York Times Company]] |
| publisher = [[New York Times Company]] |
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| quote = It seems then, that a "four flusher" properly speaking, must be an unsuccessful bluffer}}</ref> |
| quote = It seems then, that a "four flusher" properly speaking, must be an unsuccessful bluffer}}</ref> |
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and a '''four flusher''' is a person who bluffs when holding a four flush |
and a '''four flusher''' is a person who makes empty boasts or bluffs when holding a four flush.<ref name="weeklystandard"/><ref name="defensefourflusher">{{cite news |
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| title = A defense of the four-flusher |
| title = A defense of the four-flusher |
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| url = http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9B00E3D6133EE233A25751C0A9669D946997D6CF |
| url = http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9B00E3D6133EE233A25751C0A9669D946997D6CF |
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| publisher = [[New York Times Company]] |
| publisher = [[New York Times Company]] |
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| accessdate = 2009-03-05}}</ref> |
| accessdate = 2009-03-05}}</ref> |
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This [[pejorative]] term originated in |
This often [[pejorative]] term originated in the 19th century when bluffing poker players misrepresented that they had a [[flush (poker)|flush]]—a poker hand comprised of five cards all of one suit (''hearts'', ''spades'', ''clubs'', or ''diamonds'')—when they only had four cards of one suit.<ref name="nyt-four-flusher"/><ref name="defensefourflusher"/><ref name="stupidquestion">{{cite web |
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| last = Ruch |
| last = Ruch |
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| first = John |
| first = John |
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| date = 2002-08-22 |
| date = 2002-08-22 |
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| quote = A four-flusher originally was someone who bluffs or otherwise can’t back up his or her bragging}}<!-- Note, this is not a reliable source, but it is better than nothing --></ref> |
| quote = A four-flusher originally was someone who bluffs or otherwise can’t back up his or her bragging}}<!-- Note, this is not a reliable source, but it is better than nothing --></ref> |
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Optimal strategies for bluffing or not when holding a four flush have been published in [[poker strategy]] books.<ref name="nytbooks">{{cite news |
Optimal strategies for bluffing or not when holding a four flush have been published in [[poker strategy]] books.<ref name="nytbooks">{{cite news |
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| publisher = [[New York Times Company]] |
| publisher = [[New York Times Company]] |
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| quote = From one of the book's many tables, ''Optimal Strategy for'' ''the Four Flusher,'' we learn that if you hold four cards to a flush, have called the opening bettor and have failed to make your flush, you should bluff once in every two cases that you can make a bet the size of the pot.}}</ref> |
| quote = From one of the book's many tables, ''Optimal Strategy for'' ''the Four Flusher,'' we learn that if you hold four cards to a flush, have called the opening bettor and have failed to make your flush, you should bluff once in every two cases that you can make a bet the size of the pot.}}</ref> |
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[[Chevy Chase]] used the term "four flushing!" in the 1989 film [[National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation]]. The term is also used by Pooter-the-Clown, actor [[Mike Starr]], in another film [[Uncle Buck]] of the same release year. The phrase is also used in the 1967 Walt Disney version of the Jungle Book. Bagheera the panther calls Baloo the bear a four flusher. James Cagney uses the phrase angrily and sarcastically in the 1955 film [[Love Me or Leave Me (film)]]. In the 1926 silent film, "The Show Off", the term "four flusher" is used by Louise Brooks to describe her next door neighbor's son-in-law. William S. Burroughs uses the term "four-flusher" to describe some of the characters that populate his first novel, [[Junkie]]. Hot Lips Houlihan, played by Loretta Swit, uses it to insult Frank Burns (played by Larry Linville) in the 1973 "M*A*S*H" episode "Dear Dad ... Three". In the 1975 movie [[The Apple Dumpling Gang (film)]], [[Susan Clark]]'s character Magnolia Dusty Clydesdale exclaims, "Don't slick talk me you four flusher!" while chasing her new husband Russel Donavan, played by [[Bill Bixby]], through the town tavern. Bugs Bunny uses the term in the 1948 [[My Bunny Lies Over The Sea]]. |
[[Chevy Chase]] used the term "four flushing!" in the 1989 film [[National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation]]. The term is also used by Pooter-the-Clown, actor [[Mike Starr]], in another film [[Uncle Buck]] of the same release year. The phrase is also used in the 1967 Walt Disney version of the Jungle Book. Bagheera the panther calls Baloo the bear a four flusher. James Cagney uses the phrase angrily and sarcastically in the 1955 film [[Love Me or Leave Me (film)]]. In the 1926 silent film, "The Show Off", the term "four flusher" is used by Louise Brooks to describe her next door neighbor's son-in-law. William S. Burroughs uses the term "four-flusher" to describe some of the characters that populate his first novel, [[Junkie]]. Hot Lips Houlihan, played by Loretta Swit, uses it to insult Frank Burns (played by Larry Linville) in the 1973 "M*A*S*H" episode "Dear Dad ... Three". In the 1975 movie [[The Apple Dumpling Gang (film)]], [[Susan Clark]]'s character Magnolia Dusty Clydesdale exclaims, "Don't slick talk me you four flusher!" while chasing her new husband Russel Donavan, played by [[Bill Bixby]], through the town tavern. Bugs Bunny uses the term in the 1948 [[My Bunny Lies Over The Sea]]. |
Revision as of 23:39, 5 March 2009
A four flush is a poker hand that is missing one card to be a full flush,[1] four flushing refers to empty boasting[2] or unsuccessful bluffing,[3] and a four flusher is a person who makes empty boasts or bluffs when holding a four flush.[1][4] This often pejorative term originated in the 19th century when bluffing poker players misrepresented that they had a flush—a poker hand comprised of five cards all of one suit (hearts, spades, clubs, or diamonds)—when they only had four cards of one suit.[3][4][5]
Optimal strategies for bluffing or not when holding a four flush have been published in poker strategy books.[6]
The first Governor of Oklahoma, Charles N. Haskell, denounced President and political opponent Theodore Roosevelt, calling him a "four flusher".[7]
Chevy Chase used the term "four flushing!" in the 1989 film National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. The term is also used by Pooter-the-Clown, actor Mike Starr, in another film Uncle Buck of the same release year. The phrase is also used in the 1967 Walt Disney version of the Jungle Book. Bagheera the panther calls Baloo the bear a four flusher. James Cagney uses the phrase angrily and sarcastically in the 1955 film Love Me or Leave Me (film). In the 1926 silent film, "The Show Off", the term "four flusher" is used by Louise Brooks to describe her next door neighbor's son-in-law. William S. Burroughs uses the term "four-flusher" to describe some of the characters that populate his first novel, Junkie. Hot Lips Houlihan, played by Loretta Swit, uses it to insult Frank Burns (played by Larry Linville) in the 1973 "M*A*S*H" episode "Dear Dad ... Three". In the 1975 movie The Apple Dumpling Gang (film), Susan Clark's character Magnolia Dusty Clydesdale exclaims, "Don't slick talk me you four flusher!" while chasing her new husband Russel Donavan, played by Bill Bixby, through the town tavern. Bugs Bunny uses the term in the 1948 My Bunny Lies Over The Sea. In the 1922 Harold Lloyd silent film, "Dr. Jack", C. Norman Hammond uses the phrase "a four-flusher!" to describe the doctor in charge of "The Sick-Little-Well-Girl" in the city.[8]
References
- ^ a b Stelzer, Irwin M. (2004-04-17). "All Hat and No Cattle". The Weekly Standard (34 (Why, despite everything, Bush should win)). Retrieved 2009-03-05.
In New York and Vegas, the phrase is "four flusher," to denote a poker player holding a worthless hand, one card shy of a powerful flush, but bluffing in the hope that opponents will mistake his smirk for strength.
- ^ ""Four-Flusher" Defined". New York Times. New York Times Company. 1908-10-02. Retrieved 2009-03-05.
But the term is usually applied to one who "bulls" his way through life with a terrific "front" and who when "called," absolutely fails to "deliver the goods."
- ^ a b "THE "FOUR FLUSHER"". New York Times. New York Times Company. 1908-09-29. Retrieved 2009-03-05.
It seems then, that a "four flusher" properly speaking, must be an unsuccessful bluffer
- ^ a b "A defense of the four-flusher". New York Times. New York Times Company. 1908-10-02. Retrieved 2009-03-05.
- ^ Ruch, John (2002-08-22). "What is the meaning of the term "four-flusher" or "four-flushing"?". Retrieved 2009-03-05.
A four-flusher originally was someone who bluffs or otherwise can't back up his or her bragging
- ^ "Books Of The Times". New York Times. New York Times Company. 1981-04-04. Retrieved 2009-03-05.
From one of the book's many tables, Optimal Strategy for the Four Flusher, we learn that if you hold four cards to a flush, have called the opening bettor and have failed to make your flush, you should bluff once in every two cases that you can make a bet the size of the pot.
- ^ "ROOSEVELT "FOUR-FLUSHER."; Gov. Haskell Again Attacks the President". New York Times. New York Times Company. 1908-09-28. Retrieved 2009-03-05.
He [Haskell] denounced President Roosevelt as a "four-flusher"
- ^ Dr. Jack Intertitles