bid whist n Also bid, ~ whisk, ~whi(t)z formerly chiefly NEast, now esp Sth, S Midl See Map formerly widespread, now chiefly among Black speakers Cf whist n
A variation of the card game whist in which players bid to name trump.
1905 Boston Daily Globe (MA) 5 Apr 8/6, The visitors . . fared well at bridge and bid whist. 1908 Galveston Daily News (TX) 21 Sept 5/2, [From the NY Sun:]Some New Games of Cards. . . The inventor of bid whist, said to to be a Mr. Jeliffe, a commuter from Boston on the New Haven road, made it a special point to throw overboard the English custom of counting the honors to the original holders. 1918 Wall St. Jrl. (NY NY) 17 Apr 2/1, On the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, where bridge and bid whist are popular with commuters, they pay their card debts with thrift stamps. 1942 Portsmouth Herald (NH) 30 Dec 2/6, The weekly bid whist party for the benefit of the Ogunquit USO was held at the home of Mrs Charles Mayo Monday evening. 1963 Biddeford-Saco Jrl. (ME) 18 Nov 2/6, A banquet was served free of charge by the male members of the Salle Charite organization last night for all those who have attended the bid whist card party series held each Sunday at the hall on Alfred Street, Biddeford. 1965–70 DARE (Qu. DD35, . . Card games) 29 Infs, chiefly Sth, S Midl, Bid whist. [24 of 29 Infs Black] 1973 Andrews–Owens Black Lang. 77, Bid Whiz— A Black man’s card game. Played mostly in college—on their way out. 1976 Winston-Salem Chron. (NC) 4 Sept 7/2, They played Pinochle, Bid Whist and Spades for “hours” at a tournament . . to benefit the United Negro College Fund. 1981 DARE File Chicago IL [Black], We always used to play Bid, Gin, and Spades in High School. Bid Whist is like bridge, except you only bid once and there isn’t a dummy. 1982 Walker Color Purple 213 GA (as of c1930s) [Black], Us sit by the fire with Harpo and Sofia and play a hand or two of bid whist, while Suzie Q and Henrietta listen to the radio. 2003 Ramsey Race Music 262 Chicago IL [Black], The big pot on the stove . . the bid whisk, and hearty laughter all remind me why I love being a Ramsey from the Windy City. 2007 Capital (Annapolis MD) 16 Apr sec A 4/1, At the Windsor Inn Crab House, Tuesday night regulars weren’t impressed. . . They take bid whist—sometimes called “black man’s bridge”—seriously. 2008 DARE File—Internet NYC [Black], Matching Interests: cards, parties, video games, spades, bid whitz, dominoes.