Glossary of patience terms

Games of patience, or (card) solitaires as they are usually called in North America, have their own 'language' of specialised terms such as "building down", "packing", "foundations", "talon" and "tableau".

Once learnt they are helpful in describing, succinctly and accurately, how the games are played.

In some cases foundation cards are picked out and placed in position beforehand; in others they are only laid down as they come to hand in course of play.

Some games permit the provisional formation of auxiliary sequences (descending or ascending), i.e. groups of cards in succession but not yet ripe to be played to the families or sequences on the foundation cards.

[1] It will be obvious that the endeavour to arrange, pair, or combine the cards of a whole pack is a difficult task, varying in degree according to the rules of the particular game.