The Excuse

The Excuse is the name given, in the trick-taking game of tarot, to the unnumbered card that corresponds to Le Mat in the Tarot de Marseille, known as The Fool in other decks. It allows a player not to follow the suit led, hence its name: it “excuses” the player from playing. Together with the Petit (trump 1) and the 21, it is one of the three oudlers, or bouts. In divinatory tarot, the card is instead called The Fool, a figure of freedom and movement.