The Cairn
short-count
A dock game of brass washers — and to call short-count is to admit a shortfall before it is found.
In full
The game is played with brass washers, and the player declares short. Off the game floor, calling short-count means owning a deficit before an auditor reaches it — trade-floor language, affectionate, and one of the first pieces of culture the Cairn made for itself rather than importing. It is still being played, and still being said, decades on.
Key facts
- A dock game; the player declares short.
- To call short-count is to admit the shortfall before it is found.
- Trade-floor register, affectionate.
- Home-grown Cairn culture, not an import.