Crossword answer
WHIST (5 letters)
Clue: “Card game played in Dickens's The Pickwick Papers.”
A crossword clue archive records WHIST for this New York Times clue, dated October 18, 2026, at 101-Down. The novel confirms the answer directly: in the old-fashioned card-party scene, Dickens names a table for whist alongside one for Pope Joan.
Why WHIST fits
The clue points to a specific card game in Charles Dickens's The Pickwick Papers. “WHIST” has five letters, matching the entry length, and the text names the game in its card-party scene. It is a trick-taking game, so clues may also describe it as an old card game or a forerunner of bridge.
What whist is
Classic whist is played by four people in two fixed partnerships, with partners sitting opposite each other. Players try to win tricks by following the suit led when they can; traditional whist has no bidding phase. The format helps explain why the novel treats it as a familiar parlor game.
Related Pickwick literary crossword fills
These clue-style prompts point to names and terms tied to the same novel. They are examples for solving, not claims that each wording appeared in a particular NYT puzzle.
| Clue-style prompt | Answer | Why it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Card game played in Dickens's The Pickwick Papers | WHIST (5) | The exact literary clue answered by this page. |
| Dickens's “The ___ Papers” | PICKWICK (8) | The short title of Dickens's novel. |
| Pickwick's servant Sam ___ | WELLER (6) | Samuel Weller is Mr. Pickwick's sharp-witted servant. |
| Poet Augustus ___ | SNODGRASS (9) | Augustus Snodgrass is one of the Pickwick Club's members. |
| Sportsman Nathaniel ___ | WINKLE (6) | Nathaniel Winkle is another member of the traveling party. |
| A humorous proverb-style saying associated with Sam Weller | WELLERISM (9) | The literary term takes its name from Sam Weller's characteristic sayings. |
Quick answers
What is the answer to “The Pickwick Papers card game”?
WHIST, a five-letter answer.
Where does whist appear in the novel?
In Chapter VI, an old-fashioned card-party scene names a table for whist and another for Pope Joan.
Is whist the same as bridge?
No. They are distinct games, though bridge developed from the whist family. Classic whist uses fixed partnerships and has no bidding.
Sources
- Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers, Chapter VI.
- Crossword clue archive listing the October 18, 2026 answer, and the NYT Daily Crossword for October 18, 2026.
- Pagat's classic whist rules, for the four-player partnership format.
- Merriam-Webster's definition of “Wellerism.”