Meaning
spades (cards); pike
- (In the plural, 'picche') The spades suit in French playing cards.
- An ancient infantry weapon with a long wooden shaft and pointed steel head; pike.
- A petty resentment, grudge, or spiteful attitude.
In a sentence
Ho giocato l'asso di picche e ho vinto la mano.
I played the ace of spades and won the hand.
Paolo le ha chiesto di uscire, ma lei gli ha dato il due di picche.
Paolo asked her out, but she turned him down flat.
Ha rifiutato di collaborare solo per picca nei confronti del collega.
He refused to cooperate purely out of spite toward his colleague.
Word forms (2)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| picca | feminine · singular |
| picche | feminine · plural |
Usage notes
- When referring to card suits, it is almost exclusively used in the plural: 'le picche', 'l'asso di picche'.
- The idiom 'dare due di picche' means to reject someone romantically.