Actually, the (wikipedia) link in my first comment says that the phrase "call a spade a spade" was created from a (mis)translation of ancient Greek. The original Greek apparently said "calling a fig a fig, and a trough a trough", but the trough became a spade (shovel) and the fig got dropped.

The word "spade" by itself being used as a slur probably does come from playing cards ("black as the ace of spades"). Wikipedia says that (racist) definition was first included in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1928.

I guess that "call a spade a spade" fell out of popularity a bit because people were concerned that it might be assumed that the use of "spade" was meant in a racist way, even though it wasn't originally. But now I think maybe most people don't know the usage of "spade" as a slur, so the other phrase is becoming more acceptable again? I had never heard "spade" used as a slur before talking to a friend from the UK.


...And even though I'm OK with "call a spade a spade", or even a lot of the more blatant pushing the limits that comedians like Seinfeld, Chris Rock, etc. do, I do think that there is a point where you have to realize you're just asking for trouble. I remember a while back, some politician got into hot water for (technically correctly) using the word "niggardly" to mean "stingy" or "cheap". That *is* correct usage, and the origin is entirely disconnected from the similar-sounding slur.

BUT, you pretty much *have* to expect that people are going to jump to the other conclusion, so I think it is reasonable/best for people under public scrutiny (politicians, etc.) to avoid the word. On the other hand, if Seinfeld or Chris Rock wanted to work that into a bit that exposed our ignorance of the correct/original definition for comedic effect, I think that would be a good thing. And potentially funny.

What happens if they both still have a mere two aces by the end? Katz wins anyway 'cos Ace of Spades? That feels like a worse beat to me.

*related=http://videosift.com/video/Puppets-play-Motorheads-Ace-of-Spades

Puppets play Motorhead's Ace of Spades has been added as a related post - related requested by chingalera.

Not 100% certain, but it sounds like "The Ace Of Spades" (Motorhead) to me.

>> ^DrewNumberTwo:
"Fox News and the far right have a race deck, and they play the ace of spades every day."
WTF does this mean?


"Spade" is another derogatory term, similar to the n-word.

"Fox News and the far right have a race deck, and they play the ace of spades every day."

WTF does this mean?

Though I'm no stranger to rock and roll, I was unable to recognize all the riffs, so I copy/pasted the below list from the Brodie Cumming web site for reference:

1 Stairway To Heaven - Led Zeppelin
2 Smoke on the Water - Deep Purple
3 Sweet Child O' Mine - Guns & Roses
4 Wanted Dead Or Alive - Bon Jovi
5 Layla - Eric Clapton
6 Black Magic Woman - Santana
7 No More Mr. Nice Guy - Alice Cooper
8 Beat It - Michael Jackson
9 Crazy Train - Ozzy Osbourne
10 Dr. Feelgood - Motely Crue
11 Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
12 Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd
13 Cowboys From Hell - Pantera
14 Enter Sandman - Metallica
15 Mister Sandman - Chet Atkins
16 One Step Closer - Linkin Park
17 Back In Black - AC/DC
18 Purple Haze - Jimi Hendrix
19 Black Dog - Led Zeppelin
20 Crazy On You - Heart
21 Immigrant Song - Led Zeppelin
22 Bulls On Parade - Rage Against the Machine
23 Unchained - Van Halen
24 Bad To The Bone - George Thorogood
25 Johnny B. Goode - Chuck Berry
26 Surfing with the Alien - Joe Satriani
27 Money For Nothing - Dire Straits
28 Cult Of Personality - Living Colour
29 Start Me Up - Rolling Stones
30 Sunshine of your Love - Cream
31 Runnin' with the Devil - Van Halen
32 Hells Bells - AC/DC
33 Foxy Lady - Jimi Hendrix
34 Frankenstein - The Edgar Winter Group
35 Aqualung - Jethro Tull
36 In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida - Iron Butterfly
37 Carry On Wayward Son - Kansas
38 (Don't Fear) The Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult
39 Cemetary Gates - Pantera
40 Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love - Van Halen
41 Walk This Way - Aerosmith
42 Tonight 'm Gonna Rock You (Tonight) - Spinal Tap
43 Life in the Fast Lane - Eagles
44 Come As You Are - Nirvana
45 Zero - Smashing Pumpkins
46 Nothin' But A Good Time - Poison
47 Round n Round - Ratt
48 It's Not Love - Dokken
49 Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo - Rick Derringer
50 Norwegian Wood - Beatles
51 Under The Bridge - Red Hot Chili Peppers
52 Kashmir - Led Zeppelin
53 Train Kept A-Rolling - The Yardbirds
54 Blackbird - Beatles
55 Eye of the Tiger - Survivor
56 All Along the Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix
57 Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison
58 Ace Of Spades - Motorhead
59 Breaking The Law - Judas Priest
60 King of the Hill Theme - Brian David Blush/Roger Meade Clyne
61 All Right Now - Free
62 Are You Gonna Go My Way - Lenny Kravitz
63 When I Come Around - Green Day
64 Trilogy Suite Op.5 - Yngwie Malmsteen
65 Born To Run - Bruce Springsteen
66 Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison
67 Day Tripper - Beatles
68 Panama - Van Halen
69 Born To Be Wild - Steppenwolf
70 More Than A Feeling - Boston
71 Cat Scratch Fever - Ted Nugent
72 Bark At The Moon - Ozzy Osbourne
73 Hair Of The Dog - Nazareth
74 No More Tears - Ozzy Osbourne
75 Just A Girl - No Doubt
76 Iron Man - Black Sabbath
77 Sweet Emotion - Aerosmith
78 Pride And Joy - Stevie Ray Vaughn
79 Sharp Dressed Man - ZZ Top
80 Machine Head - Bush
81 Black Or White - Michael Jackson
82 Sultans Of Swing - Dire Straits
83 Hey Joe - Jimi Hendrix
84 Whole Lotta Love - Led Zeppelin
85 10 Years Gone - Led Zeppelin
86 Wild Thing - The Troggs
87 Owner Of A Lonely Heart - Yes
88 Magic Carpet Ride - Steppenwolf
89 I Love Rock N ' Roll - Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
90 Brown Sugar - Rolling Stones
91 La Bamba - Los Lobos
92 China Grove - Doobie Brothers
93 You Really Got Me - Van Halen
94 Wipe Out - The Surfaris
95 House Of The Rising Sun - The Animals
96 Dust In The Wind - Kansas
97 Rhiannon - Fleetwood Mac
98 Susie Q - Creedence Clearwater Revival
99 Voodoo Child - Jimi Hendrix
100 Eruption - Van Halen

Tags for this video have been changed from 'classic, ace of spades, 1980' to 'classic, ace of spades, 1980, motorhead' - edited by Zonbie

Hi mate, I've just noticed that your awesome Ace of Spades puppets vid got killed. Looks like the original YouTube poster played his high card.

But, this one here works fine, so you can update your embed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ5_CBvF8Lk

Thanks, young Schmawalker!

In reply to this comment by schmawy:
It'll have gas, if you'll FIGHT TO THE DEATH FOR IT!

*promote

Nice to see Shpongle and Infected Mushroom on your list, dsjunkid, hadn't listened to them IN YEARS, literally! And Saint Germain is nothing to be ashamed of, even with their popularity.

So here's my 10 cent:
1. Bear McCreary - Something Dark Is Coming (BSG Season 2)
Dark ambient. One of the best tracks from _the_ best TV series soundtrack ever created, I shit you not. We're off to a great start; McCreary is exactly what I hoped to see on my list.

2. Joke Society - Morphing Morning
From Cafe Del Mar SunSand. Yes, I confess guilty as charged, I'm one of the Cafe Del Mar obsessed.

3. Faithless - We Come One

4. Awake On A Train - Múm
Their 2000 "Yesterday Was Dramatic - Today Is OK" is one of the best albums in the world, period. This masterpiece of theirs is even better than Sigur Ros (they're both icelandic). We're doing a lot better than I expected.

5. Obstacle 1 - Interpol
Again, "Turn On The Bright Lights" was one hell of an album. Thank you, people that helped me sift some of their stuff. This is indie rock at its best.

6. Ace Of Spades - Motörhead

7. Evergreen (Dusted Remix) - Faithless
From Hed Kandi's Winter Chill 3, this is one of my favorite lounge/chillout tracks of all time. Excellent mix, too, a lot better than original, which is definitely saying something.

8. Jumbo - Underworld

9. All Along The Watchtower - Bear McCreary (BSG Season 3)
Best modern cover of this masterpiece. A tune of harps and sitar pave the way for a surprisingly powerful progressive guitar. I strongly suggest you google/youtube it.

10. Knights of Cydonia - Muse

Well, I must say, I never expected this to turn out as well as it did. Thank you, trusty shuffle, I may now actually use more of you in the future. And thanks for starting this experiment, dft

ok, the list is about half right in my opinion. The first thing that struck me was the shameless lack of metal songs. Come on, you have Green Day and Smashing Pumpkins but no Metallica, Motorhead or Slayer? Whats up with that? You could do a top 20 list on those three alone.
Here's a few:
Slayer- Raining Blood
Metallica- Master of Puppets
Van Halen- Unchained(now thats a cool riff)
Black Sabbath- Black Sabbath(the darkest riff ever written and root to all metal. I swear that riff envokes the devil himself. Iron Mans cool but...)
AC/DC- I think Highway to Hell is a beter riff
Motorhead- Ace of Spades(bass riff)
Judas Priest- Electric Eye
Rush-YYZ or Limelight
Ted Nugent- Cat Scratch Fever of Stranglehold
Boston-Piece of Mind
Doobie Brothers- China Groove
Kanasas- Carry On....
I also agree with the Cream and Jethro Tull additions as well as Dire Straits, Deep Purple(though Highway Star is better), GnR, Layla, RATM, Skynard, Stones and Zep(and a dozen other Zep songs) from the original list. But I feel Stairway To Heaven is a tired worn out, overrated, boring song. GASP! There I said it, now let the angry posts begin!

....did you check that puppets playing Ace of Spades....related viddies below....best buskin' ever!....

ace of spades trick seems senseless to me as long as i dont see the deck BEFORE the trick. obviously he just has several AOSs in the deck