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"Stupid"
While cards were taxed and
the tax stamp often appeared on the ace of spades because it was the
first card in a package, this does not mean to suggest that
only the ace of spades was taxed. The entire deck was taxed when
it was sold, and the decks were sealed (often with the tax label) so
there was no way to remove an ace of spades, anyhow. "Not playing
with a full deck" is a modern phrase like "a few beers short of a six
pack" or "A few sandwiches short of a lunch bucket".
Louise Graybiel 7-6-2004
Lacking the required intelligence, as a card game being played with a card missing. The Phrase Finder Example: A woman was reporting her car as stolen, and mentioned that there was a car phone in it. The policeman taking the report called the phone and told the guy that he had read the ad in the newspaper and wanted to buy the car. They arranged to meet, and the thief was arrested. Lots of Jokes
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