Craps

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /kɹæps/

Definitions

  1. A gambling game played with dice, where players bet on the outcome ; a vulgar slang term for solid human waste
  2. A popular game involving betting on the roll of dice ; an informal and crude word for excrement
  3. A dice-based game often found in casinos involving various bets ; a slang expression used to refer to fecal matter

Etymology: The word originated in the gambling world, specifically from the dice game that became popular in the United States during the 19th century. It is generally believed to be a variant of the word "crabs," which was used in older dice games to describe a losing roll, especially one involving the numbers 2 or 3. The transition from "crabs" to "craps" likely involved a phonetic shift that stuck as the game spread and evolved. The dice game itself has roots in an English game called "hazard," which dates back to the medieval period. Hazard required players to bet on the outcome of dice rolls, and certain rolls were considered winning or losing in ways similar to craps. When the game crossed the Atlantic, American players simplified the rules and terminology, and the term "craps" emerged as the name for both the game and the specific losing bets. By the early 1800s, the word was firmly established in American gambling circles. It carried the sense of a risky, chance-driven game, which in turn lent the word a broader slang meaning: to fail or come to nothing, as one might "crap out" in a dice roll. This figurative usage extended beyond gambling, entering everyday speech as a way to describe failure, disappointment, or waste. The verb form, meaning to gamble or to fail, derives directly from the noun usage tied to the dice game. Over time, the word also became a mild expletive or crude term for excrement, but this meaning is unrelated etymologically to the gambling sense. The two homonyms have separate origins — the excrement sense comes from Old French "crappe," meaning chaff or residue, which passed into English with a different semantic path. Thus, the gambling term retains a distinct history linked to chance, risk, and the culture of American gaming, with its origins in a medieval English dice game and a linguistic transformation that made it uniquely American.