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A.Word.A.Day--wild card

This week's theme: words from games and sports.

wild card (wyld kard) noun

1. In a game of cards, a card having no fixed value.

2. In a game, such as tennis, a player allowed to enter the tournament without having to fulfill qualifying requirements.

3. In computing, a character (usually *) used to represent any character.

4. An unknown or unpredictable factor.

[From card games, where such a card has no pre-determined value and is assigned a value by the player holding it.]

See more usage examples of wild card in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

-Anu Garg (garg AT wordsmith.org)

"A Western diplomat in New Delhi called the thousands of Pakistani-trained militants operating in Indian Kashmir 'a major wild card that is outside the control of either nation.'" Rajiv Chandrasekaran; Kashmiri Rebels Warn of New Strikes; The Washington Post; Jan 3, 2002.

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