D is for dagger, it's sharp as a tack. It's a really fun toy, 'til you're stabbed in the back. I is for Italy, shaped like a boot. If you play it for kicks, you're a crazy old coot. P is for Paris, a city in France. Germans will take it if given the chance. L is for Loser; There sometimes are six. They fall to the winner and his bag of tricks. O is for Ottoman, it's more than a stool. It's Joe in the corner, who's nobody's fool. M is for Mercy. What's that, you say? It's being too nice; that's not how we play. A is for Austria, stuck in the middle. He's needing help big-time: a lot, not a little. C is for comrade, your ally for life, But be suspicious when he sharpens his knife. Y is for You, without whom there's no game. Once you start playing, you're never the same. Harold Reynolds (hjreynolds2@rogers.com) If you wish to e-mail feedback on this article to the author, and clicking on the envelope above does not work for you, feel free to use the "Dear DP..." mail interface.