Who is a Domino?
A domino is a flat, thumbsized rectangular block with one side bearing from one to six pips or dots and the other blank or identically patterned. It is one of 28 such pieces that make up a full set of dominoes, also known as bones, cards, men, or tiles. When the pips are matched, the dominoes are stacked together in lines and angular patterns to form the game. The game is played by players in turn trying to lay down a domino of their choice, with the goal of finding and playing a domino that has a value matched by those of a domino at either end of a line already established. The player who plays the last domino in a line becomes the winner of the game.
A person who plays the role of a dominant domino is one who dominates people and situations. He or she is a natural leader, and has the ability to influence others in positive ways. In the workplace, a dominant domino is usually a supervisor or manager who leads by example and inspires employees to be successful in their jobs. He or she is able to motivate and develop strong leadership teams that are successful in accomplishing company goals and objectives. A domino is often a high-level executive who is responsible for the overall direction and management of the business.
Dominos are small, square-shaped clay tiles with a number of pips on one or both sides, traditionally representing the results of throwing two six-sided dice. They are the simplest of all the gaming tools and can be used for a wide variety of games. The most common are blocking and scoring games. A number of different types of trick-taking games are also popular with dominoes. Some of these are adaptations of card games, which were once a common way to circumvent religious prohibitions against playing cards.
The word domino, as well as the game of dominoes, is derived from an older sense of the term, denoting a long hooded cloak with a mask for the upper part of the face worn at masquerades. The word first appeared in English in the 17th century, and in French shortly thereafter. The French word is probably derived from the Latin dominus, meaning “lord, master.”
When we use the term domino in everyday speech and writing, it refers to a series of events that impact each other, much like the toppling of a domino effect. A domino effect can happen in the literal sense, such as when something knocks over another object or event, but it can also be used figuratively to describe a chain reaction.
When a person says that something is like a domino, they are implying that it will have an extremely large impact on other things, much more than it might have on its own. For example, someone may say that an action by a government official is like a domino effect because it will lead to other actions, which will then have an even larger impact.