English
Etymology
From the chat or banter in a coffeehouse
Noun
en-noun|-
- The act of distracting an opponent by chattering.
- By extension, unethical behaviour at the bridge table.
Quotations
Most duplicate clubs offer a social, friendly atmosphere, but the bridge played there is a competition, so the players follow rules designed to ensure an even playing field. The "coffeehousing" that is sometimes accepted in a home game is understandably off-limits at duplicate. 1
As for suggesting that the defenders were "coffeehousing", I don't see any reason from your report to suspect this, and you would have to be very sure of your ground before accusing them. Who knows what was going on in their heads when they paused for so long? If this was done deliberately to mislead or disconcert declarer it was indeed an infraction, but do you really suppose they could foresee that this would induce declarer to duck by mistake? 2
Usage notes
Used by bridge players and apparently by poker players as well.
|
