all fours

English

Noun

all fours

1. The four legs of a quadruped.
2. The four limbs of a primate.

   to be on all fours

3. (card games) A card game similar to whist.
   • 1874, Thomas Hardy, Far from the Madding Crowd:

     'Twas a bad leg allowed me to read the Pilgrim's Progress, and Mark Clark learnt All-Fours in a whitlow.

   • 1882, John Ashton, Social Life in the Reign of Queen Anne, page 104:

     Other games were cribbage, all fours, ruff and honours, French ruff, five cards, costly colours, bon ace, putt, plain dealing, Queen Nazareen, pennech, post and pair, bankafalat, beast.

4. A certain game of dominos.

Translations

four legs of a quadruped

• Finnish: raajat (fi) pl

four limbs of a primate

• Finnish: raajat (fi) pl
• Russian: четвере́ньки (ru) f pl (četverénʹki), кара́чки (ru) f pl (karáčki)

card game