crazy eights

noun

(used with a singular verb)

1. a card game played by two or more persons with a 52-card deck, the object of which is to be the first to get rid of one's hand by successively playing a card of the same suit or denomination as that played by the preceding player, with an eight counting for any desired suit.

Word History and Origins

Origin of crazy eights¹

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

“The great thing about the crazy eights is that one’s right-handed, one’s left-handed,” he said.

Read more on Seattle Times

Browsing through the selection feels like diving to a treasure chest and picking out whatever jewel suits your fancy for that day: an elegant 11-minute pearl of a drama like Lucas Hnath’s “The Courtship of Anna Nicole Smith”; a sparkling amethyst comedy like David Lindsay-Abaire’s “Crazy Eights”; or a gait-stopping onyx Black Lives Matter tragedy like “Jezelle the Gazelle” by Dominique Morisseau.

Read more on New York Times

There’s a great sort-of old-school website called Cardzmania.com, which just allows you to create little personal tables to play rummy or hearts or, you know, even for littler kids, something like crazy eights with people far away.

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Big Sean in “No More Interviews” referenced Bryant’s 1998 NBA all-star game star-turn by name-checking the brand of Adidas shoes that the player wore that night: “Going off like Kobe when he wore the Crazy Eights.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The genius of Uno is that it enhances Crazy Eights with special game-changing cards like “Skip” and “Draw 2,” adding elements of unpredictability and opportunities to play defense.

Read more on Slate

Related Words

• poker 
• roulette