Is anyone else on this board a player of Balderdash, the commercial version of the old parlor game, Dictionary?
Not that I'm expecting any of you to drop over for a game any time soon, although you may if you like, but I am curious if this word-based game is enjoyed by other verbivores. Scrabble seems to be popular, but it relies on vocabulary and spatial capacity, whereas Balderdash relies on vocabulary, etymological knowledge, and a good "poker face." What say you?

Interesting, Geoff...sounds like a bolder dash of Scrabble to me!

But, more seriously, I'll have to look for it.

How do you play Balderdash? I've only heard it in this context a few times.

>how do you play...

the game cards have an obscure(?) word and a definition. each player comes up with his own definition for the selected word, and everyone votes for the best def'n; points are scored. obviously, you don't need game cards for this -- passing around a collegiate dictionary should suffice.

http://www.centralconnector.com/GAMES/balderdash.html

Sure, I like to play Balderdash in my copious free time, meaning every decade or so. Funny you should bring up the game, since recently I've been contemplating how we could play it here. I guess the variation would simply be for participants to be honor-bound not to look up a term whilst playing.

>I've been contemplating how we could play it here.

me too; the def'ns could come in via PM and the moderator would then post the list for voting. the moderator would also include the actual def'n plus one of his own creation.
scoring could be like the board game or modified.

I'd be glad to moderate a round (I've got a veritable font of obscure words!)

I'd be glad to moderate a round (I've got a veritable font of obscure words!)

Too bloody true!
And all fascinating ... like you?

You'd HAVE to moderate or nobody'd have a snowball's chance in hell of winning against you!

The above all fawning compliments - I note in case you're having a tetchy day!

That's six Balderdashers thus far, so, tsuwm, let's do it! Toss one out!

In reply to:

---

That's six Balderdashers thus far,

---

Make that seven. I played dictionary once or twice long ago, and have no objection to being trounced once again.

toss one out!

okay... watch for a separate thread soon.

I'm all for a game of Balderdash. I just got a new version of the game as a gift. Now you can either choose an obscure word to define, an obscure movie title to make up a plot synopsis of, an obscure acronym to expand, an obscure person's name to explain what they are "famous" for, or an obscure something else to do something else with (I'm at work and the game's at home). It's another case of if it ain't broke... but the movie titles can be fun.

Ha! I like the acronym idea. The next time you are at home, perhaps you can jot down a couple for us to try? In your copious free time, I mean.

I shall play.

jimthedog

I'm thinking that when I publish the list of proposed definitions that we should vote out in the open (allows the bluffing factor) -- any thoughts?

Sure. Nothing like a little public humiliation to make my day. Only, will the votes influence succeeding voters? And should we try to schedule votes on a rotating basis so the same people don't get stuck voting first all the time? Or am I unduly complicating this? Or duly complicating it?

the board game (and the 'parlor' game) rotate the play so everyone gets (has?) to go first. not only do you get public humiliation this way, but the bluff comes into play because you can vote for your own definition to try to influence others -- the downside is that you don't score any points for your own vote that way, you can only get points for guessing the true definition and for others guessing yours.

A friend just apologized for using the word 'discombobulated'. Is this word not recognized as slang? I haven't seen any reference to it but I hear it used.

Welcome, steev.

dis·com·bob·u·late (dĭs'kəm-bŏb'yə-lât')
tr.v., -lat·ed, -lat·ing, -lates.
To throw into a state of confusion. See synonyms at confuse.

[Perhaps alteration of DISCOMPOSE.]

dis'com·bob'u·la'tion n.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2001 by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

See also the discussion of discombobulate by The Word Detective at http://www.word-detective.com/070599.html#discombobulate , where he detects a Hindi origin of the bob part.

Bingley

One of my favorite words! (though ususally self-applicable)...But for years I pronounced it discom-boob-ulate! I was horribly disappointed when I was enlightened about my error...and, I have to admit, I still like it better with the "boob" in it! No sexual connotation intended, seriously folks.