In gambling, snake eyes is the outcome of rolling the dice in a game and getting only one pip on each die. The pair of pips resembles a pair of eyes, which is appended to the term 'snake' because of the long-standing association of this word with treachery and betrayal. The dictionary of etymology traces that use of the term back to 1929, although it may be traced all the way back to the ancient Roman dice games, where 'Dogs' represented two ones. They referred to this as "the dog throw". In modern parlance, it refers to such a roll in any game involving dice. Snake eyes also refers to looking one way and passing the ball the other way in the game of Taps.
Read more about Snake Eyes: Games, Probability
Famous quotes containing the words snake and/or eyes:
“The snake that cannot shed its skin perishes. Likewise those spirits who are prevented from changing their opinions; they cease to be spirits.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
“Don’t they know that God gave them
their miraculous sickness
like a shield, like armor
and if their eyes are in the wrong
part of their heads, they shouldn’t complain?
What are they doing seeing their doctors
when the world’s up for grabs.”
—Anne Sexton (1928–1974)