endgame

== English == === Alternative forms === end game, end-game === Etymology === From end +‎ game. === Pronunciation === enPR: ĕndgām, IPA(key): /ˈɛnd.ɡeɪm/ === Noun === endgame (plural endgames) (chess) The final stage of a game of chess, when there are few pieces left. [1884] Coordinate terms: middlegame, opening (bridge) The final stage of a game of bridge, when there are few cards left. (by extension) The final stage of any game. (figuratively) The final stage of an extended process or course of events, especially with the implication of the imminent realization of a masterful strategy or plan. (video games) The gameplay available in a massively multiplayer online role-playing game for players who have completed all of the preset challenges. (crosswording) The thematic element of an advanced cryptic crossword puzzle, typically solved after completing the grid. ==== Translations ==== === Adjective === endgame (not comparable) (fandom slang, of a ship) Having become canon by the end of the plot of a work of fiction or speculated to be intended to become such. 2017, Suzanne Frenk, "Telling The True Story: Queerbaiting, representation, and fan resistance in the BBC Sherlock fandom", thesis submitted to Tilburg University, page 50: TJLC’ers’ strong belief in Johnlock as endgame was intrinsically linked with their trust in the show’s creators, which enabled them to interpret the repeated denial of the subtext in Sherlock as part of the game. 2020, Marlene King, quoted in Sara K. Day & Summer Melody Pennell, "#PLLQueerTheory: Fans’ reactions to queer representation in Pretty Little Liars", The Journal of Fandom Studies, Volume 8, Number 2, June 2020: I think the fans and I were pretty aligned with who we wanted as endgame couples. For more quotations using this term, see Citations:endgame. === References === “end, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1891. === Anagrams === game-end, manèged