Literally: “ass card” / meaning: a symbol for the worst possible situation you can find yourself in
Imagine you’re on your way to your friend’s housewarming party—the one who is known for filling his fridge with the finest drinks available.
There’s just one catch: It’s your turn to drive and so you will have to settle for Coke and Apfelschorle today. This is a classic situation where you have drawn the Arschkarte. Regarding the origin of the word, many believe that it has a connection to the red card in soccer. Referees often to keep the yellow card in their breast pocket, but the red card in their back pocket. Back in the days of black-and-white television, this is said to have had the advantage that viewers could better tell the cards apart.
However, there has never been a firm rule as to which card has to go in which bag. Unlike the rule that you will have to stay sober at the housewarming party, unfortunately.
References:
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arschkarte