face card

noun

1. the king, queen, or jack of playing cards.

face card

noun

1. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): court card. (in a pack of playing cards) a king, queen, or jack of any suit

Word History and Origins

Origin of face card¹

First recorded in 1665–75

Example Sentences

His role was to be a “face card,” a former pro athlete whose presence was meant to lure unwitting victims.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But the most effective tricks at their disposal were known as “face cards”—former professional athletes, such as Billups, who were there to attract potential victims to the game.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Billups, who was accused of being a face card in the fixed card games, was arrested in Portland and was placed on leave by the NBA.

Read more on BBC

The victims were allegedly lured to play in these games with former professional athletes, who acted as "face cards" in the scheme.

Read more on BBC

In the first two seasons, the difficulty levels of the Borderland games were designated by the number on playing cards, with actual people embodying the face cards for the most challenging games.

Read more on Salon