mah jongg

mah jongg

mah jongg , four-handed game, probably of Chinese origin, popular in the United States. It is played in many variations throughout China. In 1920, Joseph P. Babcock, an American traveler in China, devised a set of rules for Western play and invented a complete terminology. He patented the game under the trademark Mah Jongg. The game enjoyed a remarkable popularity. The goal of the game, which is similar in principle to rummy, is to accumulate sets. The equipment for the currently popular mah jongg set consists of 152 tiles—small rectangular blocks of wood with ivory or bone faces. There are 108 suit tiles, 16 wind tiles, 12 dragon tiles, 8 flower tiles, and 8 jokers. The three suits are bamboo, or sticks; circles, or dots; and characters, or cracks. Both the distribution of tiles and succeeding play are complicated.

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"mah jongg." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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mah-jongg

mah-jongg / mä ˈzhäng; -zhông/ (also mah-jong or mah·jongg or mah·jong) • n. a Chinese game played, usually by four people, with 136 or 144 rectangular pieces called tiles. The object is to collect winning sets of these tiles, as in card games such as gin rummy.

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"mah-jongg." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"mah-jongg." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-mahjongg.html

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mah-jong

mah-jong XX. — Chinese, ‘house sparrow’.

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T. F. HOAD. "mah-jong." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "mah-jong." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-mahjong.html

T. F. HOAD. "mah-jong." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-mahjong.html

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mah-jong

mah-jongalong, belong, bong, chaise longue, dong, Geelong, gong, Guangdong, Haiphong, Heilong, Hong Kong, Jong, King Kong, long, mah-jong, Mao Zedong, Mekong, nong, pong, prolong, prong, sarong, Shillong, song, souchong, strong, thong, throng, tong, Vietcong, wrong •billabong • dingdong • Wollongong •Chittagong • headlong • livelong •sidelong • lifelong • oblong • oolong •singalong • furlong • pingpong •Armstrong • headstrong • part song •plainsong • evensong • singsong •swansong • birdsong • biltong •diphthong

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"mah-jong." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"mah-jong." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-mahjong.html

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

Mah Jongg mania strikes Florida; regional tournament set for march 15 weekend.
PR Newswire; 1/17/1991
Back to backgammon Dominoes? Cribbage? Mah Jongg? Gen X embraces Grandma's...
Newspaper article from: Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL); 3/30/2004
Miles of Tiles Internet helps ancient game of mah-jongg's transition into new...
Newspaper article from: Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL); 11/19/2007

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