from
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)
fantan
n 1: a Chinese gambling game; a random number of counters are
placed under a bowl and you gamble on how many will be left
(0, 1, 2, or 3 modulo 4) [syn: {fantan}, {fan tan}]
2: a card game in which you play your sevens and other cards in
sequence in the same suit as the sevens; you win if you are
the first to use all your cards [syn: {fantan}, {sevens},
{parliament}]
from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Fan-tan \Fan"-tan`\ (f[a^]n"t[a^]n`), n. [Chinese (of Canton) in
an-tan-kun gambling house.]
1. A Chinese gambling game in which coins or other small
objects are placed upon a table, usually under a cup, and
the players bet as to what remainder will be left when the
sum of the counters is divided by four.
[Webster 1913 Suppl.]
2. A game with playing cards in which the cards are played in
sequences upon the table, the one who first gets rid of
his cards being the winner.
[Webster 1913 Suppl.]