fan-tan

American  

[fan-tan] / ˈfænˌtæn /

noun

1. Also called sevens.  Also called parliament.  Cards.  Also fan tan a game in which the players play their sevens and other cards forming sequences in the same suits as their sevens, the winner being the player who first runs out of cards.

2. a Chinese gambling game in which a pile of coins, counters, or objects is placed under a bowl and bets are made on what the remainder will be after they have been counted off in fours.

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fan-tan British  

noun

1. a Chinese gambling game in which a random number of counters are placed under a bowl and wagers laid on how many will remain after they have been divided by four

2. a card game played in sequence, the winner being the first to use up all his or her cards

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Etymology

Origin of fan-tan

First recorded in 1875–80; from Chinese fān tān literally “repeated divisions”

Example Sentences

One of the work’s six parts features a fan-tan pipa, a dancer who plays the pipa.

From Seattle Times

The show has moved from L.A. to Las Vegas, into a has-been hotel and casino called the Fan-Tan, and as a publicity stunt Liberty Belle and Zoya go on a live local morning show to taunt each other, Cold War style, during the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger.

From The New Yorker

But to me, the most exciting arc this season focussed on Bash—catalyzed by a stellar addition to the cast, Kevin Cahoon, who plays Bobby Barnes, a beloved and emotionally astute drag performer at the Fan-Tan.

From The New Yorker

And her character Sandy Devereaux St. Clair, entertainment director of the Fan-Tan Hotel and Casino, is exactly that.

From Salon

Think of this new chapter as the show’s “Fantasy Island” tribute, with a perfectly cast Geena Davis stepping in to the Mr. Roarke role as Sandy Devereaux St. Clair, the gregarious entertainment director of the Fan-Tan Hotel and Casino, which has hired the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling for a three-month headliner gig.

From Salon