--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A crooked old man had been playing…" description: "\"“A crooked old man had been playing solitaire in there with an actual deck of cards when she and Chloe had arrived. Emily estimated his age to be somew..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7f/tracy-brogan-11539_deck-of-cards_a-crooked-old-man-had-been-playing-solit_355008.jpg" --- # A crooked old man had been playing solitaire in there with… ![“A crooked old man had been playing solitaire in there with an actual deck of cards when she and Chloe had arrived. Emily estimated his age to be somewhere between eighty-five and infinity,” quote by Tracy Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7f/tracy-brogan-11539_deck-of-cards_a-crooked-old-man-had-been-playing-solit_355008.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7f/tracy-brogan-11539_deck-of-cards_a-crooked-old-man-had-been-playing-solit_355008.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7f/tracy-brogan-11539_deck-of-cards_a-crooked-old-man-had-been-playing-solit_355008.jpg) > ““A crooked old man had been playing solitaire in there with an actual deck of cards when she and Chloe had arrived. Emily estimated his age to be somewhere between eighty-five and infinity,”” [Tracy Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-brogan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage paints a surreal scene of an ageless, enigmatic figure, highlighting themes of aging, time, and mystery. **In simple terms:** An ancient man playing solitaire symbolizes timeless mystery. Key Takeaway Consider the strange and unknown in everyday life. Themes mystery age time surrealism Mood curious thoughtful Type literary descriptive When to use this quote - elderly care - storytelling - gaming culture - creative writing Key Concepts existential narrative character study Questions to Reflect On - What does the card deck represent? - How does age affect perception of reality? A Different Perspective The description may romanticize neglect of the elderly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Deck of cards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deck-of-cards/) [Old man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-man/) [Solitaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solitaire/) ## Related quotes > [I have switched on this modern laptop machine. And I have told myself that I must resist the temptation to start playing solitaire upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-drabble/i-have-switched-on-this-modern-laptop-machine-and-i-have-told-myself/) [Margaret Drabble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-drabble/) > [Anger infests Lee Bowyer's simple mind. He could get sent off playing solitaire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-winter/anger-infests-lee-bowyer-s-simple-mind-he-could-get-sent-off-playing/) Henry Winter > [We're not playing solitaire out here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-parcells/we-re-not-playing-solitaire-out-here/) [Bill Parcells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-parcells/) > [What is it about the blank page that makes me want to hurl myself into a game of solitaire? I ask myself these kinds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-gilmore/what-is-it-about-the-blank-page-that-makes-me-want-to-hurl-myself/) [Jennifer Gilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-gilmore/) > [My biggest vice is playing solitaire on my iPad. It's bad. I mean, it's ridiculous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-von-furstenberg/my-biggest-vice-is-playing-solitaire-on-my-ipad-it-s-bad-i-mean-it-s/) [Diane von Furstenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-von-furstenberg/) > [“Playing Solitaire is a non-smoking employee’s smoke break.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/playing-solitaire-is-a-non-smoking-employee-s-smoke-break/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [He is deformed, crooked, old and sere, Ill-faced, worse bodied, shapeless everywhere; Vicious, ungentle, foolish, blunt, unkind; Stigmatical in making, worse in mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/he-is-deformed-crooked-old-and-sere-ill-faced-worse-bodied-shapeless/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I hit rock bottom when I was doing "The Brady Brides." I was supposed to be at the studio, screen testing to pick the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-mccormick/i-hit-rock-bottom-when-i-was-doing-the-brady-brides-i-was-supposed-to/) [Maureen McCormick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-mccormick/) > [Brandon McCaw beat that game solitare 500,000,000,000 times on Direct T.V. He has all this footage on Channels. 74, and 126 and on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-mccaw/brandon-mccaw-beat-that-game-solitare-500-000-000-000-times-on-direct/) [Brandon McCaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-mccaw/) > [I have an Apple computer, which I use to play Spider Solitaire and do research on the Internet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-trebek/i-have-an-apple-computer-which-i-use-to-play-spider-solitaire-and-do/) [Alex Trebek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-trebek/) > [I had a real computer solitaire problem. I'd gotten to the point where I had to win a game before I could write, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/i-had-a-real-computer-solitaire-problem-i-d-gotten-to-the-point-where/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [No one who has experienced the intense involvement of computer modeling would deny that the temptation exists to use any data input that will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lovelock/no-one-who-has-experienced-the-intense-involvement-of-computer/) [James Lovelock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lovelock/) > [“Was it true what The Big Man had said, that she would have nothing to do with men? He doubted it. She seemed open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/was-it-true-what-the-big-man-had-said-that-she-would-have-nothing-to/) [Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/) > [“Aside from her unpleasant sleep, and one game of solitaire with Lana,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssia-kirkhart/aside-from-her-unpleasant-sleep-and-one-game-of-solitaire-with-lana/) Alyssia Kirkhart > [“Samuel said, “One day we’ll sit and you’ll lay it out on the table, neat like a solitaire deck, but now—why, you can’t find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/samuel-said-one-day-we-ll-sit-and-you-ll-lay-it-out-on-the-table-neat/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) ## More by Tracy Brogan > [“Her life was more like a series of tattered Post-it notes with hastily scribbled goals written in dull pencil. Some of them stuck. Lots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-brogan/her-life-was-more-like-a-series-of-tattered-post-it-notes-with/) [Tracy Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-brogan/) > [“I must have looked like a zombie when I opened the door. Tyler literally recoiled when he saw me, and then he chuckled. “You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-brogan/i-must-have-looked-like-a-zombie-when-i-opened-the-door-tyler/) [Tracy Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-brogan/) > [“You’ll find the balance you need as soon as you let go of how you think things should be and accept them as they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-brogan/you-ll-find-the-balance-you-need-as-soon-as-you-let-go-of-how-you/) [Tracy Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-brogan/) > [“most of the guys Emily dealt with these days were subcontractors who wore tool belts and cargo pants and suffered from chronic ass-crack reveal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-brogan/most-of-the-guys-emily-dealt-with-these-days-were-subcontractors-who/) [Tracy Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-brogan/) > [“He winked at me over her head, causing my bra to try and unclasp itself in sweet surrender.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-brogan/he-winked-at-me-over-her-head-causing-my-bra-to-try-and-unclasp/) [Tracy Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-brogan/) > [“Finally, the judge from Ypsilanti”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-brogan/finally-the-judge-from-ypsilanti/) [Tracy Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-brogan/) > [“Apparently while I was reading The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Dating, he’d read The Guide to Dating a Complete Idiot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-brogan/apparently-while-i-was-reading-the-complete-idiot-s-guide-to-dating/) [Tracy Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-brogan/) > [“she caught a glimpse of flat, tan abdomen, and suddenly she didn’t need coffee. She needed smelling salts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-brogan/she-caught-a-glimpse-of-flat-tan-abdomen-and-suddenly-she-didn-t-need/) [Tracy Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-brogan/) > [“We can’t control events in our life, Sadie. Sometimes we can’t even control our reactions. But the harder we fight against the waves, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-brogan/we-can-t-control-events-in-our-life-sadie-sometimes-we-can-t-even/) [Tracy Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-brogan/) > [“Siri, what’s a femme fatale?” Chloe asked her phone. “It’s a dishonest woman who uses feminine wiles to manipulate men,” Emily responded just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-brogan/siri-what-s-a-femme-fatale-chloe-asked-her-phone-it-s-a-dishonest/) [Tracy Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-brogan/) > [“He turned his head to look at her, trying to think of ways to plead his case. Some way to dazzle and beguile her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-brogan/he-turned-his-head-to-look-at-her-trying-to-think-of-ways-to-plead/) [Tracy Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-brogan/) > [“Ugh! Talking to the sperm-donor-formerly-known-as-my-husband was just the garlic frosting I needed on this total piece of shit day.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-brogan/ugh-talking-to-the-sperm-donor-formerly-known-as-my-husband-was-just/) [Tracy Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-brogan/) > [“Drunk puzzle night had been a little too much fun.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-brogan/drunk-puzzle-night-had-been-a-little-too-much-fun/) [Tracy Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-brogan/) > [“popcorn, with Jordan fast on her heels. They sprinted into the dense growth of the overburdened flower beds and began running zigzag patterns around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-brogan/popcorn-with-jordan-fast-on-her-heels-they-sprinted-into-the-dense/) [Tracy Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-brogan/) > [“Life had a way of shifting under her feet like quicksand and she had learned to just make the best of it. Like Gigi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-brogan/life-had-a-way-of-shifting-under-her-feet-like-quicksand-and-she-had/) [Tracy Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-brogan/) [Explore all 56 Tracy Brogan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-brogan/) ## More Deck of cards quotes > [“The old intergenerational give-and-take of the country-that-used-to-be, when everyone knew his role and took the rules dead seriously, the acculturating back-and-forth that all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/the-old-intergenerational-give-and-take-of-the-country-that-used-to/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [Before I had kids, my bag was clean. 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I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-perry/i-m-kind-of-a-good-girl-and-i-m-not-i-m-a-good-girl-because-i-really/) [Katy Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-perry/) > [“A magician may step out without a purse, but he should never step out without a pack of playing cards.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/a-magician-may-step-out-without-a-purse-but-he-should-never-step-out/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [Perhaps there is a reason that there is no fool piece on the chessboard. What action, a fool? What strategy, a fool? What use,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/perhaps-there-is-a-reason-that-there-is-no-fool-piece-on-the/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [“Cutter: Every great magic trick consists of three parts or acts. The first part is called "The Pledge". The magician shows you something ordinary:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-priest/cutter-every-great-magic-trick-consists-of-three-parts-or-acts-the/) [Christopher Priest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-priest/) > [My wife told me she wanted something with lots of diamonds, I bought her a deck of cards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/green-monk/my-wife-told-me-she-wanted-something-with-lots-of-diamonds-i-bought/) [Green Monk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/green-monk/) > [To most magicians, cards themselves are marvels...For one thing, they feel special in your hand. 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