roulette
Catholic roulette
1. slang A method of birth control in which heterosexual partners do not engage in sexual intercourse while the woman is ovulating; more commonly known as "the rhythm method." An allusion to contraceptives being banned within the Catholic ideology and the fact that the effectiveness of such a method is as much a gamble as playing roulette. In this day and age, and with four children already, I find it mind-boggling that you and Sarah would be playing Catholic roulette to keep from having another baby. My periods have always been unpredictable, so I've never trusted Catholic roulette as a potential method.
2. slang A method of birth control in which a man withdraws his penis from his partner's vagina before ejaculating; more commonly known as "the withdrawal method" (technically called "coitus interruptus"). We got so caught up in the moment that I didn't bother asking if he had a condom, so I just told him to pull out before he came. Well, suffice to say that we lost that game of Catholic roulette.
3. slang Heterosexual intercourse in which no birth-control methods are used at all. Why on earth would you not use a condom, dude? If you go playing Catholic roulette with every girl you hook up with, you're going to end up with a baby in your arms before you've even graduated college!
See also: catholic, roulette
play Russian roulette
1. Literally, to participate in a potentially deadly game of chance involving a revolver loaded with a single bullet, in which a participant spins the cylinder so that the bullet's location is unknown, puts the barrel to their head, and pull the trigger. A university student died while apparently playing Russian roulette with other members of his fraternity.
2. By extension, to commit or participate in any reckless, foolish, and/or dangerous act or stunt, especially that in which the risk of danger or trouble is increased with the number of times one repeats it. You're playing Russian roulette every single time you get behind the wheel of a car when you've been drinking.
See also: play, roulette, Russian
Russian roulette
1. A potentially fatal game of chance involving a revolver loaded with a single bullet, in which each participant in turn spins the cylinder so that the bullet's location is unknown, puts the barrel to their head, and pulls the trigger. A student of the university died over the weekend after apparently playing a game of Russian roulette with other members of his fraternity.
2. By extension, any reckless, foolish, and/or dangerous act or stunt, especially that in which the risk of danger or trouble is increased with the number of times one does it. Your company might have passed its audit this year, Mr. Fisk, but every year is going to be Russian roulette so long as this embezzlement continues. You're playing Russian roulette every single time you get behind the wheel of a car when you've been drinking.
See also: roulette, Russian
Vatican roulette
1. slang A method of birth control in which heterosexual partners do not engage in sexual intercourse while the woman is ovulating; more commonly known as "the rhythm method." An allusion to contraceptives being banned within the Catholic ideology (the governing body of which is the Vatican) and the fact that the effectiveness of such a method is as much a gamble as playing roulette. In this day and age, and with four children already, I find it mind-boggling that you and Sarah would be playing Vatican roulette to keep from having another baby. My periods have always been unpredictable, so I've never trusted Vatican roulette as a potential method.
2. slang A method of birth control in which a man withdraws his penis from his partner's vagina before ejaculating; more commonly known as "the withdrawal method" (technically called "coitus interruptus"). We got so caught up in the moment that I didn't bother asking if he had a condom, so I just told him to pull out before he came. Well, suffice to say that we lost that game of Vatican roulette.
3. slang Heterosexual intercourse in which no birth-control methods are used at all. Why on earth would you not use a condom, dude? If you go playing Vatican roulette with every girl you hook up with, you're going to end up with a baby in your arms before you've even graduated college!
See also: roulette
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
play Russian roulette
COMMON If someone plays Russian roulette, they take big risks by doing something that might cause great problems or danger. Many organisations are playing Russian roulette with their greatest assets — their staff and their reputation. We're playing Russian roulette with our health, eating this rubbish. Note: If someone plays Russian roulette, they fire a gun containing only one bullet at their head without knowing whether the bullet will be released or not.
See also: play, roulette, Russian
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.
play ˌRussian rouˈlette
take dangerous risks: The airline was accused of playing Russian roulette with the lives of their passengers. Russian roulette is a dangerous game in which a person shoots a gun at their own head. The gun only contains one bullet so the person does not know if it will fire or not.
See also: play, roulette, Russian
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
Vatican roulette
n. the rhythm method of birth control. My parents lost at Vatican roulette, and I am the booby prize.
See also: roulette
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
Russian roulette, to play
To engage in a potentially fatal undertaking. The term refers to a game popularized by Russian officers at the czar’s court in which each player in turn, using a revolver that contains just one bullet, spins the cylinder, aims at his own head, and pulls the trigger. With a six-chamber cylinder, there is one chance in six that he will kill himself. The term was transferred to other highly risky undertakings in the first half of the twentieth century. “Abusive parents are often the scarred survivors of generations of Russian roulette,” stated an article in the medical journal the Lancet (1976).
See also: play, Russian
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
- Catholic roulette
- Vatican roulette
- get (one's) ashes hauled
- dog style
- dog-style
- make the beast with two backs
- gangbanging
- gang-bang