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There's a pair to draw to

Posted by Smokey Stover on November 06, 2008 at 03:16

In Reply to: There's a pair to draw to posted by Don Phillips on November 05, 2008 at 17:06:

: What is the origin of the phrase "there's a pair to draw to"?

This expression is part metaphor and part poker rules. In draw poker you are allowed to "draw" new cards in exchange for old ones, and if you have a pair, you will generally swap out the other three cards, or two of them, hoping to get something to raise the value of your hand: another pair, a third card to make your pair three of a kind, or just something higher to go with your pair than any that received originally. So when you choose how many cards to draw, you are drawing to a pair.

The other part, the metaphor, is any pair that you would like to emphasize, One example (from an Internet search), Dollie Parton and Hulk Hogan. No, the pair in question does not belong to Dollie, but consists of the odd couple, Parton and Hogan, together in defiance of common sense.

I think the phrase is used to emphasize something about the named pair, whether it's the odd contrast or something else. But then, I probably don't understand the phrase myself, since I find it so non-specific. It would make more sense to me if it were just plain prurient.
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