Meanings
- Someone who enjoys good fortune in games will experience romantic frustration.
The old maxim, "Lucky at cards, unlucky in love," is applied to chess.
1867 March 16, “Winning and Losing”, in Illustrated Times, London, page 7
Origin
Current phrasing from 1867. Idea present from the 18th century. Earlier expressions include "Well, Miss, you’ll have a sad Husband, you have such good Luck at Cards" (Swift, Polite Conversation, 1738) and "lucky in play, unlucky in love" (1846). A similar French saying "Malheureux en amour, heureux au jeu" is attested from 1850.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
French heureux au jeu, malheureux en amour
- heureux au jeu, malheureux en amourTranslations
Cite this entry
lucky at cards, unlucky in love. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lucky%20at%20cards%2C%20unlucky%20in%20love
“lucky at cards, unlucky in love.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lucky%20at%20cards%2C%20unlucky%20in%20love. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lucky at cards, unlucky in love,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lucky%20at%20cards%2C%20unlucky%20in%20love.
Source: lucky at cards, unlucky in love on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.