Meanings
alternative man with the axe
- slangcard gamesThe king of diamonds in a deck of playing cards.
The game is seven card high/low with a buy on the last card. And just to make it more interesting, the man with the ax takes all.
1989 February 13, “The Measure of a Man” (2:41), in Star Trek: The Next Generation, season 2, episode 9, spoken by Dr. Katherine Pulaski (Diana Muldaur)Synonyms: king of diamonds
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe king of diamonds in a deck of playing cards.
Origin
So called because, while the other three king cards are commonly depicted with swords, the king of diamonds is depicted with an ax.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish kirvesmies
- kirvesmiesnickname for the king of diamonds — see also king of diamonds
Cite this entry
man with the ax. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/man%20with%20the%20ax
“man with the ax.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/man%20with%20the%20ax. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “man with the ax,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/man%20with%20the%20ax.
Source: man with the ax on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.