early 14c., "one who alters the form of anything," agent noun from change (v.), or else from Old French changeour "money-changer, barterer," from changier. Meaning "money-changer" in English is from mid-14c. Meaning "mechanism for automatically changing records on a record-player" is from 1930.
Old English dælere "divider, distributor; agent, negotiator," agent noun from deal (v.). Meaning "player who passes out the cards in a game" is from c. 1600; meaning "one whose business is to buy and sell merchandise" is from 1610s. Meaning "purveyor of illegal drugs" is recorded by 1920.
c. 1896, trademark name (1901) of a mechanical player-piano device using perforated rolls of paper, from piano, the ending perhaps abstracted from viola and meant as a diminutive suffix. The pianola's popularity led to a rash of product names ending in -ola, especially Victrola (q.v.), and slang words such as payola. Related: Pianolist.
c. 1300, "a throwing," verbal noun from cast (v.). From early 15c. as "the casting of metal, the act or process of founding;" 1788 as "a metal casting, that which has been formed by running molten metal into a mold of a desired form." Theatrical sense is from 1814. Casting couch "divan in a Hollywood casting directors office," with suggestion of sexual favors in exchange for a role in a picture is by 1948.
"fool, simpleton," 1855, of unknown origin, apparently from the surname and perhaps influenced by slang mug "dupe, fool" (1851; see mug (n.2)). It also was the name of simple card game (1855) and the word each player tried to call out before the other in the game when two cards matched. The name turns up frequently in humor magazines, "comic almanacks," etc. in 1840s and 1850s.
"to withdraw (a player) from the varsity team to add a year to his or her eligibility," 1950, in reference to the red shirts worn by athletes on the scrimmage squad; from red (adj.1) + shirt (n.). Also as a noun, "a college athlete whose course of study is extended for the sake of sports eligibility" (by 1970). Earlier a red-shirt was "a supporter of Garibaldi" (1860s); hence, generally, "a revolutionary."
1945, Uruguayan card game played with two decks and four jokers, popular 1945-c. 1965; from Spanish, literally "basket," from Latin canistrum (see canister). In the game a canasta is seven cards of the same rank, giving the player a large bonus. A Spanish card-playing term for building up a meld was tejiendo las cartas, literally "weaving the cards," hence perhaps the name is based on the image of a woven "basket."