HOW Did the CAR START?

Growing up in the 70s, my Dad would take my two brothers, my

sister and me on Sunday drives in his big blue station wagon. We traveled throughout the Connecticut countryside, taking in the parks, beaches, and playgrounds along the way. During our excursions, we played word games; our own collection, unique to the family. Each had one feature in common no materials were required. Since the games were verbal, pens, crayons, paper and other kid-friendly-supplies were stashed safely at home in the toy box. This was not by chance. My Dad wanted to play too, and not compromise the kids safety by taking his hands off the wheel! Hours flew as we barked out homonyms, coined phrases, hummed tunes, and alphabetized sports teams to the likes of Word Builder, Screen Test, Pedidal, and Categories. What fun we had! Years later, I discovered that my family was not exceptional; just about everyone I encountered had a series of family games that they, too, fondly recalled. Thats what spawned the idea for this book it was, in fact, how the car got started. More than 100 people contributed to this anthology. Editing the manuscript was more challenging than writing it there was so much content from which to choose! The games run the gamut; some are effortless, relaxing pastimes while others call for a bit more brain power. Indisputably, though, all are entertaining. Now a Dad myself, I play these very games with my family. Its come full circle were creating new memories that my children will cherish and eventually pass on to their own. Enjoy the ride! Don Cosenza

1.

In commontake two letters of the alphabet to create popular two-word expressions 2. String alongcombine words to string together well-known phrases 3. Who am I?...guess your identity by asking yes or no questions 4. Pairsname common items that naturally go together as a pair 5. Replacementsanswer tactical questions with pre-assigned answers 6. Charactersguess the TV show, movie, or book different characters came from 7. Hey mananswer questions with the common three letters m-a-n in the reply 8. Add em upfollow sets of rules to come up with combinations of words 9. Chop itdrop letters of a word to create new, shorter words 10. Grannys Trunkgive Granny a list of items that start with the letters of her destination 11. Improper Nounadd a word in front of or between someones name to create a phrase 12. Ssssshhhhhh!...gauge how long everyone in the group can stay quiet 13. Dissectiontake a big word and make it smaller, and smaller, and smaller 14. Letter wordsfind letters of the alphabet when spoken out loud make their own words 15. Alternatelist words in which vowels and consonants alternate 16. License plate pokerdetermine who has the most winning hand using license plates 17. Partnersmatch answers with your partner to determine how well you know each other 18. Memoriesshare your most intimate thoughts with the other players 19. Four-letter wordschange a four-letter word one letter at a time to create a brand new word 20. Episode recall memorable episodes of your favorite TV shows 21. Double headercite words that have two or more of the same letter 22. Snapshout words as quickly as you can that start with each letter of another word 23. Targetspot the specified target on the road before the other team and win the game 24. Eye spychallenge the others to spot what youve spied with your little eye 25. Categoriesname as many things as possible that are appropriate for the category

26. Definitionsmake up a word and define that

word for the other players

27. Air, water, land & firestate an animal that

lives in the air, in the water, or on land 28. Tune incompose new lyrics to that special tune with the "great beat" 29. Double troubledouble your fun with words that have more than one meaning 30. Word Up grab the letters on passing license plates to create words 31. Adverteasing recite as many taglines from commercials as you can remember 32. Silent Eavoid answers that contain the letter eits not easy 33. Jottodetermine a four-letter word by process of elimination 34. Great debatepick a hot topic that divides the players and then express opposing views 35. Sound offsubstitute a sound for vowels and then attempt to spell the word 36. Passwordgive your teammate clues to guess the secret password 37. 100: License plate stylereach 100 by counting up numbers on license plates 38. Alphabet roadfind all letters of the alphabet, in alphabetical order, on passing signs 39. One hundred onechoose an object like a windmill and find 101 examples on the road 40. First and lastidentify objects that begin and end with the same letter or sound 41. Tally hopick a number and look for it on passing license plates 42. Tack em onoffer clues to a word by adding some of the letters together 43. Fly to Saturncreate a list of complementary items for Saturnand then repeat the list 44. Associationname sets of words that are associated with each other 45. Farmyardlook for animals on either side of the car but stay far away from cemeteries 46. Motion sicknesscreate different motions and then repeat them all together 47. What if?...imagine different situations and share true feelings 48. Screen testact out different emotions to win the Academy Award 49. Double talkhide a word by talking about itbut never mentioning the word itself 50. True or Falseguess which revelation is true and which is false

51. Incognitoguess someones identity with

clues based on the persons initials 52. Semi search & Air hornspot 18-wheelers on the road and get them to honk! 53. Alphabet soupuse the alphabet to generate some interesting answers to questions 54. Alpha-chatcarry on a conversation using each letter of the alphabet 55. Spin a yarnuse your collective imaginations to create a far-out story 56. Initial answersanswer questions with two words that begin with your initials 57. Goin campingguess the secret category by telling others what youll bring camping 58. Traitsdescribe the traits of others you know using each letter of the alphabet 59. Round the worldname a place that begins with the last letter of the previous answer 60. Monikeruse the letters in your name to create brand new words 61. Seguetransition from one word to the next using a bridge word 62. 20 Questionsask up to 20 questions to guess the animal, vegetable or mineral 63. Road scrabblechoose a word and then find the letters to spell it on the road 64. License to spellfind letters of the alphabet with only the first letter on license plates 65. Ghostdo all you can to avoid spelling a word when its your turn 66. Ghosts Plusadd some extra challenge on to the basic version of the game 67. Name that tunename that tune using as few notes as possible 68. Whats my linerecite famous sayings or proverbs as players guess who said them 69. Hollywood tuneshum the tune of a TV show or movie as players guess the name 70. Shoutshout the names of famous people using initials on license plates 71. Lautoguess the distance to your final destination to the nearest 1/10 of a mile 72. Straight facekeep from laughing as others do all they can to make you laugh 73. Acronymsname acronyms that begin with each letter of the alphabet 74. Word powerstump opponents with tendollar words 75. Pedidalspot passing cars with broken headlights or taillights 76. Filler-upuse letters from license plates to spell words by filling in additional letters 77. In the trunk of my carrecall everything in your trunk from a to z

78. Alphabet twistrecite the alphabet in many

different ways with many different twists

79. Outta-state-license-platefind each and

every license plate from all 50 states

80. Buzz, Bizz, & Bizz Buzzcount out loud but

be sure to avoid sevens and fives

81. Splitcite words that can be broken in half

to form two new words

82. Speed trapthink of as many words as

possible in 60 seconds 83. Switch itname items in one category only to find the category switched in a flash 84. License plate bingospell words using license plates on passing cars 85. Croonersing your heart out with songs that have a common word 86. My favoriteshare your favorite things and be prepared to say why 87. Think fastshout four new words that begin with the four letters of another word 88. Thesaurusfine tune your vocabulary by citing synonyms of other words 89. Brainstormpick an issue and determine how the group would manage it 90. Numbers upconsider different expressions that begin with numbers 91. Hows yoursdescribe an item that everyone knows but the person guessing the item 92. Mirror, mirrorfind words that spell something both forward and backwards 93. Line upthink up words that fall into a category and then name all the words together 94. Triviagenerate some tough questions and see who can answer those questions first 95. Clichtake turns reciting clichs and analyzing exactly what they mean 96. Word builderbuild new words using one letter at a ime 97. Rainbow gamelook for objects on the road colored with the different rainbow hues 98. Punch linesgenerate a cunning question after youve heard the punch line 99. Blanksfill in the blanks based on a particular clue and sentence 100. Parts is partsname a place or thing and take turns naming all of its parts 101. Sensesclose your eyes and try to figure out objects just by their touch

1. IN COMMON
Indisputably one of the most engaging alphabet games ever created. The object is for all players to take turns naming familiar two-word expressions using each letter of the alphabet and one theme, or common letter. Lets say, for example, players decide the common letter will be the letter b. Take turns thinking of two-word expressions that contain the letters ab, bb, cb, db, etc. A sample round might look like this: The first player, who has ab, responds with air ball. Player two, who has bb, continues with bread box. Player three may answer, cow barn, while player four follows with day break, so on and so forth. Each player has one minute to reply. Its important for a player to keep on his toes and figure out in advance the combination of letters hes responsible for before his turn comes up. That way, hes got a better chance to remain in the game. Always think ahead.

also put the common letter before the alphabet. In the above example, the combinations would be ba, bb, bc, bd, and so on.

2. STRING ALONG
Sew together phrases, titles, or names, and youve got a great game to keep the group in stitches. (Sew, stitches, get it?) Player one starts by giving the group a word. Player two must use that word in a popular phrase, expression, adage, song title, or proverbbasically a group of words that, when strung together, take on a meaning of their own. The other players must have heard the phrase for it to count as an acceptable answer. Player three continues by choosing one of the words in player twos phrase to devise yet another recognized group of words. The word the player chooses to build on is called the primary word. It can be any word from the previous phrase, provided it has at least four letters. Example: Player one starts the round with the word mind. Player two says, A mind is a terrible thing to waste. (Wellknown educational slogan.) Player three chooses to use waste as his primary word from the answer provided by player two to generate, Waste not, want not. (Old adage.) Player four follows by picking up want as her primary word from the previous phrase to proclaim, I want to hold your hand. (Song title.) Next player retorts with Give me a hand. (Common expression.)

Other ways to play: This game

literally has dozens of variations. The best are as follows: Instead of citing common expressions, use famous people for the initials (dead or alive, fictional or real). In the example above with the common letter b, answers would include Archie Bunker, Bob Barker, Charlie Brown, Dave Black, etc. Yet another way to play is to choose more than one fixed letter. Instead of using just the letter b, for example, alternate between b and d. Players can

A few things to remember: The reason for the four-letter minimum is that it keeps everyone from using conjunctions like but or and as well as common articles like an or the. Moreover, players cannot use the same primary word more than twice in a row. For example, in the cited round, players could only use the primary words waste or want or hand twice in a round. After that, the word becomes null and void and cannot be considered primary until the next round begins.

in fact someone in the group does know the answer to the question. The first person to guess his identity wins the game.

4. PAIRS
Some things go together as if they were made for each other. Think about itwhat would cookies be without milk? Peanut butter without jelly? Bert without Ernie? Sneakers without sox? Take turns naming two things that we all know well as pairs things that, when combined together, make up a perfect team. Remember, in this case, the sum of the parts is less than the whole

3. WHO AM I?
Move over John and Jane Doe...make room for Abraham Lincoln, Michael Jordan, Marilyn Monroe, Joe DiMaggio, Mark Twain, Benjamin Franklin, and Richard Nixon. In this game, players can become any one of these famous people. The problem is, they dont know which one! One player is chosen as the King. The King secretly anoints a famous person to each player, whispering to the other players each persons new identity. The King does not, however, tell a player his own identity. The object of the game is for each player to guess who he is by asking all the other players yes or no questions. Players take turns asking yes or no questions to the others about his or her identity and everyone must answer truthfully. Sample questions include, Am I a fictitious character? Am I living, Am I an actor? Do I have brown hair? Did I have children? etc. If the other players honestly dont know the answer to a question posed by the player whose turn it is, then the group must say pass. At no time can the other players make up phony answers or claim to not know the answer if

Another way to play: Pairs is not limited to things that are necessarily a positive match. Expand the game to include things that may not work together so well but still remain a pair. Examples: cat and dog, oil and water, salt and wound.

5. REPLACEMENTS
There is always an answer for every question. But the question is, is it the right answer? The premise of this game is simple: one word or answer replaces another. An emcee doles out a different word, or answer, to each player in the car; answers that he chooses on his own. Everyone in the car hears the word assigned to each player. After the words are assigned, players take turns asking each other questionsquestions that solicit funny answers; answers that are, in fact, the assigned words allocated by the emcee. Make sense? Heres a sample round:

The emcee gives player one the word meatballs. Player two gets dishwater. Player threes assigned green. Now the fun begins. Player one asks player two a question that he knows will solicit the reply, dishwater. So he says, Whats your breath smell like? Player two must answer with the word dishwater. Player one continues and asks player three, What color are your teeth? Player three has to say, green. After player one asks his questions, player two takes the stand and asks his questions, then its on to player three, so on and so forth. The game continues until everyones had a chance to emcee and to answer questions. Keep in mind that this game can quickly travel south. Some of the assigned answers could get naughty. Decide in advance what rules are required according to your familys comfort level.

from The Godfather...Luke Skywalker is from Star Wars.

7. HEY MAN
OK dude, heres your chance to play it cool, slick. Like, lets get ready, man. Players think of cryptic questions in which one-word answers contain the word man. The letters m-a-n can fall anywhere in the answer in the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of the one-word reply. Player one asks the group a question such as Wheres the man in New York City? The answer is Manhattan. Player two might ask, Whos the scariest looking man in the world? The answer is Elephant Man. Player three might ask, Wheres the man in the orange? The answer is Mandarin. Player four might ask the question, Where did the man hide the fire? The answer is mantle. Remember, the player asking the question must always use the word man in her sentence; otherwise she forfeits her turn.

6. CHARACTERS
Do any of these names ring a bell? Archie Bunker...Rob Petry...Marsha Brady...Don Corleone...Luke Skywalker... Most of these names likely sound familiar because in some cases, theyve become American icons. The names are characters that have appeared in popular television programs and movies. Choose an entertainment category: movies, television, literature, theater, etc. Each player must name a character from that category. The first player who correctly recalls the name of the TV show, movie, or book in which that character appeared wins a point. In case youre wondering: Archie Bunker is from All in the Family...Rob Petry is from The Dick Van Dyke Show...Marsha Brady is from The Brady Bunch...Don Corleone is

8. ADD EM UP
Sohave trouble following school rules, huh? Sit this one out or youll be clapping erasers after school for sure. A professor is chosen. She gives her class a series of wordly rules to follow and each pupil had best have an answer. The rules should become more challenging, and yes, more educational, as the rounds continue. Sample round: The professor assigns the following task: cite a word that starts with

the letter b. After all players answer, the professor ups the ante and asks everyone to state a word that starts with the letter b and ends with the letter r. Then she calls for her pupils to provide a word that starts with the letter b, ends with the letter r, and has the vowel e somewhere in between. The professor should always have an acceptable answer in mind before she states the rule that way, if a player is stumped, she can prove that the rule she had in mind does in fact foster an answer. This continues on until theres only one pupil left in class that has an acceptable answer to the last rule. Its probably a good idea for the professor to determine the wordly rules before the game begins and have answers to those rules in mind.

10. GRANNYS TRUNK

The host announces that Granny is going on a trip and asks the players what shes going to do or bring with her on the trip. Players must think of things she will do or bring that start with each letter of the place shes visiting. The round continues until all players have had a chance to name items that begin with each letter of Grannys destination. Example: The host says Granny is going to Hartford. Player one might say, Grannny is going to Hartford and she will bring hats, art supplies, rings, tea bags, flags, oranges, red peppers and dogs. Player two may respond, Granny is going to Hartford and she will bring hammers, apples, rugs, tadpoles, fruit, olives, radishes, and ducks. Players should choose items that, for the most part, make sense. Subsequent answers must be different than those that have already been recited. To make the game a bit tougher, a player must first list the items Granny is bringing with her that were given by the previous player. If she cant remember all the items before imparting her own, shes out of the game.

9. CHOP IT
Logs arent on the chopping blockwords are. The object of this game is to list words in alphabetical order that, when the first letter is removed, still spell a word. For example, player one starts with the first letter of the alphabet, a. She may say, ahead, which is suitable since, without the letter a, the word head is formed. Player two may say bleak, which is also suitable, since the word leak is formed. Player three may say climb, which when the c is removed, spells limb Player four might say, drag or draw. Players give points for the number of letters in the original word. For example, the player who used the word bleak would get five points. The player who used the word draw would get four points. The player with the highest number of points wins. Omit the letters q, x, and z.

11. IMPROPER NOUN

For those English majors in the group, theres no question on the definition of a proper noun. This game, however, turns a proper noun into a question. A persons name is a proper noun. The object of Improper Noun is to take a famous persons name and, by adding one short word in front of the name, turn it into a question. Trick is, the question must make sense.

Some examples: Does Tom Cruise? Does Lucille Ball? Is Fred Astaire? Is Howard Stern? Would Dan Rather? Is Joel Grey? Does Chris Rock? You get the picture. Once the group gets the hang of it, the possibilities will seem limitless. To expand the universe of answers, though, players may choose to use names of both famous people and individuals everyone in the group knows. For example, consider the neighbor down the street, Bill Holm. A correct response would be, Is Bill Holm?

move, at, mit, mat, met, vat, etc. Give 2 points for two letter words, 3 points, for three letter words, etc.

14. LETTER WORDS

Many letters comprising the alphabet, when spoken, form actual words. Think about itsay the letter b out loud and youve just said a word in this case, a bee. Or say the letter c out loud and youve said the word sea. Although sea doesnt actually begin with the letter c, it is an acceptable answer for this game. Were just citing words that start with the sound of a letter. Just o-pen your ears (great answer for the letter o) and mouths. Everyone will be astounded at how many words commence with the sound of individual letters in the alphabet. Start the game beginning with the letter a and continue in alphabetical order. Heres a sample round: Player one says apex for the letter a; player two says beware for the letter b; player three says seaside for the letter c; player four says derail for the letter d; player five continues with enunciate for the letter e, while player six replies with effigy for the letter f. (Note that, as in the word sea, the word does not have to begin with the actual letter the word must simply start with its sound. Another example would be the word came for the letter k.) Players who cannot think of a word for their letters drop out of the game.

12. SSSSSHHHHHH!
A clear winner with parents (and with sonin-laws). Players agree to stop talking. The first player to say something out loud is out of the game. A variation of this game is for the whole group to remain quiet until a certain object is seen. For example, the group decides to look for a brown cow on the side of the road. Until that cow is spotted, theres no talking aloud (or allowed, for that matter).

13. DISSECTION
Fact: The English language has more words than any other language known to man. Moreover, some of the longest words in existence are, in fact, English words the very premise on which this game is built. Choose a word that has, say, six or more letters. Now see how many smaller words can be made using the letters of the original word. For example, take the word automotive. Smaller words that can be formed from automotive: auto, motive, to,

15. ALTERNATE
A favorite amongst word game fanatics. The object of Alternate is to list words in which consonants and vowels alternate. As

if this were not enough, the words must be cited in alphabetical order. Player one must choose a word that starts with the letter a and has a consonant as a second letter, a vowel as a third letter, and a consonant as its last letter. Player two has to reply with a word that begins with the letter b and has a vowel as its second letter, a consonant as its third, and ends in a vowel. When a word begins with a vowel, it must have a consonant as its second letter, a vowel as its third, and a consonant as its last letter. Heres a sample of some acceptable answers: A: abut; B: bake; C: come; D: dude; E: ever; F: file; G: give; H: have, and so on.

easy for everyone to spot a car with his color. Points are as follows: 2-of-a-kind = one point; 3-of-a-kind = two points; 4-of-a-kind = three points; straight (three letters/numbers in sequence) = 5 points; full house (2 pair of numbers/letters on the same plate) = 5 points; flush (all numbers or all letters) = 6 points; royal flush (all numbers or all letters with the same letter or number) = 7 points. Dealer plates with an X are worth 10 points a piece. You must remember a few simple rules: All numbers beat letters; higher numbers beat lower numbers; letters of the alphabet closest to z beat letters closest to a and out-of-state license plates beat in-state license plates when theres a push (a tie). Note: Some people create more excitement by adding new hands to the game. For example, the group might want to give extra points for license plates that have double zero or personalized plates that spell a word or plates that have all odd numbers. The stakes are up to the team.

16. LICENSE PLATE POKER

As they say in Vegas, if you know when to bluff em, and you know when to stuff em, youll beat the house and go home a winner. The same holds true with License Plate Poker. Some families even ante up a few coins to make the play more lively. The game is played, more or less, the same way as "real" poker. To begin with, each player must pick a color. All cars on the road with that color become his or her hands. The object is to beat your opponents by having the hand worth the most points. Lets say player one chooses red cars, player two chooses blue cars, and player three chooses green cars. A round commences when each player has spotted one car thats his or her color and manages to recall the license plate on that car. Once all players have one hand, or license plate, the best one wins that round. On a day with lots of traffic, a hand shouldnt take long at all to play it should be fairly

17. PARTNERS
Just how well do you know your spouse? Or, for that matter, how well do you know your best friend, your brother, your sister, or your uncle? Heres your chance to find out. Everyone in the car chooses a partner someone each player thinks he knows well. An emcee is chosen and asks each pair a question. One player in the pair guesses the answer that his partner will say; the partner whispers his answer in the ear of the emcee before his partner makes a guess. For example, the emcee might ask, Name your partners favorite color or True or false...your partner loves to drink pickle juice or Reveal the zaniest thing that you

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and your partner have ever done together. The pair that guesses the greatest number of correct answers wins the game.

18. MEMORIES
Ahhhhpuppy love. Some reminiscences, like our first crush, light the corners of our minds, or so claim the lyrics of the popular tune. Impart some of your most memorable experiences with the other playersdelightful, comical, nutty, wistful, reflective, philosophical, treasured, remarkable, unforgettable memories. The best way to play is to choose a topic such as the first day of high school or the most embarrassing moment or everyones earliest childhood memory. Each player takes a turn recounting her experience. (Consider the ages of all playerssome subject matter may not be applicable or appropriate for younger participants.)

rust, ruse, rise, and finally, ride. The word ride is a new four-letter word that has none of the same letters as the original word, bass. The team did it in 9 turns. Team two must beat that number to win.

Another way to play: A more

challenging variation of this game is for players to choose two four-letter words in advance and try, as a team, to gradually change the first letter into the second, one letter at a time. So, for example, lets say players agree to the words race and blue. Everyone takes a turn trying to get from race to blue by changing one letter at a time. It may take a while, but eventually it can be done.

20. EPISODE
Do you remember when Marcia Brady got hit in the nose with a football? Or when Diane pushed Sam into Boston Harbor after he proposed? Or when Gloria and Meathead moved out of Archies house? Or when Rachel and Ross shared their first kiss? If youre a TV fanatic, then all of these episodes should ring a bell...The Brady Bunch, Cheers, All in the Family and Friends are just a few of the famous sitcoms in the Television Hall of Fame that, together, yield thousands of outstanding and memorable episodes. Pick a TV show that everyone favors and take turns recalling different episodes. Youll be cracking up in no time!

19. FOUR-LETTER WORDS

Despite its name, profanity is prohibited! Players form two teams. Each team gives the other a four-letter word. The object is to change the word into a brand new word that has four different letters none of the letters from the original word are allowed. The team that does this in the fewest turns wins the game. Heres an example: Team one gives team two the word bass. Team one starts the round while team two keeps a careful count of the number of turns it takes their opponents to generate a new word. The first person says pass, the next player says past, and then last, lust, dust,

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21. DOUBLE HEADER

The moon captivates earthlings. Is it the craters? Its many phases? The man who lives there? No, its simply the double letters in its name. The word moon, like the words address, collaborate, door, and veneer have two of the same letters in a row. Astounding. The English language is laden with words that have double letters. The object of this game is to list 20 words (out of 26 letters of the alphabet), each containing a different doubled letter. Omit the letters h, j, q, u, x, and y (thus leaving 20 letters of the alphabet that can in fact be doubled). The first player begins by naming a word that includes two As. The second player must name a word with two Bs, the third player names one with two Cs and so forth. A sample round might start like this: aardvark, bubble, accident, addition, beep, etc.

23. TARGET
Spot a red mustang with New York license plates and a woman-driver and win the jackpot! Better yet, target a green sign under a tree with symbols and no letters and bingo! You win! Break-up into teams of two. Team one gives team two an object to target that has three characteristics, and vice versa. For example, team one tells team two to target a blue car with one headlight and two people aboard. Team two retorts with a black cow wearing a bell thats grazing on a hill. The first team to target its object wins.

24. EYE SPY

Keep your eyes peeled Player one spots an object in the car, such as a pencil, and doesnt tell the other players what shes found. She simply gives one clue, such as, I spy something that begins with a p. The other players take turns trying to figure out what shes spied by asking yes or no questions. After each player guesses once, another clue is offered. In this case, the second clue might be, I spy something that begins with p and is yellow. She must be careful to repeat all clues in the order in which they were provided to the players. The first player to guess correctly spies the next object. Some objects to spy in the car: gloves, pens, pencils, a lighter, a mirror, a wallet, a pocketbook, a map, a book, a shoe, sun glasses, golf clubs, an umbrella, an ice scraper, a sun visor, a blanket, a hat, candy wrappers, matches, cigarettes, tissues, a briefcase, a dogs leash, dirty laundry, sneakers, change, French-fries (believe it or not, weve all got them), etc.

22. SNAP
Start the game by choosing an emcee. The emcee points to a player, pronounces a word, and then spells it, such as Dog. D-OG. Then all the players in the car immediately count to 10 then shout the word snap after they reach the number ten. Before the group reaches ten, the player to whom the emcee pointed must name three objects, the first beginning with a d, the second with an o, and the third with a g. If she doesnt finish before the word snap is yelled, shes out of the game. (Drivers should never be the emcee) Make the play more challenging by lengthening the words by a letter or two after the first few rounds.

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25. CATEGORIES
What do bugs and football have in common? How about TV shows and fruit? Planets and animals? For one thing, each subject is a distinct category. Pick a category and give each player a chance to name something thats a logical member of that category. Players are allowed 10 seconds to generate an answer. The round continues until only one person can think of an additional item to add to the chosen category. The winner chooses the next category. Category examples: baseball, football, movies, cities, vegetables, fish, beer, presidents, fruit, cars, prize fighters, astronauts, capitol cities, flowers, authors, gems, famous streets, fishing, states, and planets. The list is virtually endless.

Sentence: John turned green after his dentist used xenophobia on his molar. Player Four might retort, Definition: An aversion to the letter z. Sentence: When I think of the letter z, I get the dry heaves from my xenophobia. Any answer is acceptable; the more unique and imaginative, the better. Player one picks the winner and offers the true meaning of the word hes created and must use it in a sentence as well. The round continues as player two conjures up a word and the other players use it in a sentence, then on to player three, etc. until everyones had a chance to add a new word into the dictionary.

27. AIR, WATER, LAND, AND FIRE

A player is chosen as the emcee. That player calls out the name of someone in the car and yells either air, water, land, or fire. The player called upon must name an animal that lives in the air, water, or land, depending upon whats called out. If the word fire is yelled, he should say nothing. If he accidentally does name an animal, hes out of the game. For example, the word air is called out. The player chosen might say crow or seagull. If the word water is called out, the player might say whale or lobster. For land he might say dog or lion. If he hears the word fire and accidentally replies, hes a goner. The game gets to be great fun when the round goes quickly. Players should be clocked so answers will be rapid and spontaneous. No repeat answers allowed. The game continues until everyone has had a chance to emcee. The winner is the one who lasts the longest without flubbing.

26. DEFINITIONS
Roll over, Mr. Webster. Player one makes up a word. He must say the word aloud, spell it, and declare to the rest of the players whether its a noun, verb, adjective or adverb. Each player must conjure up his own definition of that word and use it correctly in a sentence. For example, player one makes up the word xenophobia and claims that its a noun. Player two might reply this way: Definition: A fear of the planet Xenon. Sentence: Bob shuns traveling between planets because of his chronic xenophobia. Player Three might state, Definition: A condition you get from too much radiation.

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28. TUNE IN
Some catchy tunes bellow over the airwaves. In fact, some are so catchy its virtually impossible to get them out of your head! That phenomenon will actually help players for this game. Choose a tune that everyone knows well. It can be a familiar kids song, a theme from a TV show, a popular rock tune, a hymn, a melodywhatever the players decide. Then everyone agrees on a topic for the lyrics. Thats when the fun begins, because now its time to create the lyrics that will accompany the tune brand new lyrics that players make up on the spot! The group can choose to give each player the opportunity to devise a complete set of words for the tune, or instead, take turns adding one line of lyrics as the tune plays out. One person begins the song and turns it over to the next player, so on and so forth. For example, players choose the tune from the popular 70s TV show, Love Boat. The topic: Aunt Marthas pot roast from last summers family reunion. (Assume that pot roast was a real winnerthe lyrics can get very funny, very fast.)

Players challenge themselves by using both words in the same sentence. Some examples: I would rather play than go to the play.; I think it was him that sang the hymn.; It certainly does seem as though she ripped the seam.; His profession and his passion were writing and riding.

30. WORD-UP
Spot the letters on the license plate of a passing car. Take turns thinking of a word that contains all the letters on that plate. For example, lets say the plate has the letters BNK. Player one might say bank or knob or blank. The words created can start with any letter, but must contain all the letters on the plate. The player who thinks of the longest word that contains all the letters wins the point. The first one to reach 10 wins the round. Make the game even more challenging: Each player has to recite a word that starts with each letter on the plate. If the letters are EWH, a complete answer might be Everywhere, When, and Hold.

31. ADVERTEASING
Hey, wheres the beef? The television generation from the 1980s will recall that legendary jingle it appeared just about everywhere and made a charming, elderly lady a famous icon over night. It was the advertising slogan for Wendys, the ubiquitous fast food restaurant. There are many others just like itremember Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh what a relief it is! Or how about this: They melt in your mouth, not in your hand! And this one: Mmmm.good cracker, good cracker. TV fanatics recognize these

29. DOUBLE TROUBLE

The English language is filled with words that have more than one meaning, depending upon the context in which those words are used. English is also filled with homonyms, synonyms, words that are spelled the same way but have different meanings, and words that can be used as both a verb and a noun. Take turns thinking of words that sound alike and in some instances may even be spelled alike, but have completely different meanings.

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famous taglines for Alka Seltzer, M&Ms and Ritz Crackers. Take turns thinking of old and current advertising slogans. Chances are, youll keep going, and going, and going

other four-letter-words that have letters in common. Confused? Dont be. Lets say player one chooses the word drop. The other players start to guess the word by citing different four-letter words. Lets say player two guesses the word is bear. Player one replies, one, meaning that one letter from the word bear is also in the word drop the letter being, of course, r. The next player might say, bean. Player one would reply, none, meaning no letters in the word bean are in the word drop. Through continuous guessing and the process of elimination, players deduce that an r falls somewhere in player ones word. How? In this case, the only letters not common in the words bear and bean are r and n. Since player two knows that one letter in the word bear is also in drop, and player three knows that no letters of the word bean are in the word drop, everyone deduces that r must be in player ones word, drop. This goes on until all the letters of player ones word are determined. The person who guesses the word first wins the round.

32. SILENT E
Its claimed that the letter e is used more frequently than any other letter in the alphabet and this game will surely prove the point. An emcee is chosen who asks each player a question that he or she must answer truthfully without using any word that contains the letter e. The emcee may use the letter e in her questions, but no reply can include an e anywhere in the answer. Each player is allowed no more than 20 seconds to generate an answer; if his reply contains the letter e, hes out of the game. Example: The emcee asks the question, Where do you live? Player one might say, Uptown by the woods. Player two could say, On a mountaintop, and player three might say, By a farm. The emcee should try to ask questions that will push players to answer with words that do in fact contain an e. For example, the emcee knows that player two is from the town, Encino. He asks the question, What town are you from? The player must be shrewd; he cannot answer using the name Encino, but nevertheless must provide an appropriate, honest reply to the question. He might say instead, a city in California. Last player in wins the round.

Another way to play: Theres no

doubt about it; this is a tough game to understand as well as to play. In order to get the hang of it, the group may want to start with three-letter words and work their way up to four letters and then eventually five or even six as everyone becomes more adept at the game.

34. GREAT DEBATE

Choose a controversial topic thats currently in the news. Maybe theres a nuclear plant under construction in the next town...a well-

33. JOTTO
The process of elimination has never been so much fun. The object of the game is for players to guess a four-letter-word using

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known criminal is up for parole...the board of education is cutting the sports budget... Find out whos for and whos against. Those in favor have five minutes to explain their point of view. The opposing team then gets its chance at a five-minute rebuttal. Of course, you may find the carload of passengers is on the same side of all issues on the docket. In that case, choose another game to play.

team gives the sender a password. The word must be a person, place, or thing. The sender gives one-word clues to his teammate, the receiver. The receiver takes a guess at the password after each clue. The object, of course, is to guess the password with as few clues as possible. For example, lets say the password is Frankenstein. The sender might begin with the clue, monster and continue with scar, green, scientist, etc. until the receiver finally guesses the password, Frankenstein. Keep in mind that clues cannot contain any part of the password. For instance, if the password is windmill, the sender cannot use the word wind as a clue. This game is best when its played with at least four participants.

35. SOUND OFF

This games origins are from the hallowed halls of fraternities across America. It may sound preposterous, but its also hilarious and a great way to liven up your trip. The object of the game is to substitute sounds for vowels when spelling words. For example, lets say the group decides to caw like a parrot for the letter e. Each player takes a turn by choosing a word and calling the name of another player to spell the word out loud. If the player says bike, then someone must repeat b, i, k, caaawwww! This goes on until someone screws up, and another vowel is substituted for a sound. Then two vowels are replaced with soundsthen three, then four, and so on until eventually, all the vowels are replaced with madcap noises. Be prepared, it can get bizarre! (Or is that b, i, z, a, r, r, caaawwww!

37. 100: LICENSE PLATE STYLE

The object of this game is to be the first player to reach one hundred by adding up the numbers on license plates. (And maybe, just maybe, the person who reaches 100 first could win some cash? Thats up to Mom and Dad, of course.) Each player picks a different colored car. When that colored car passes by, the player must quickly add up the numbers on the license plate. This continues as players keep a running tab of their totals. (Obviously, letters of the alphabet dont count; only numbers on the plate qualify.) this game is to count only the digits that appear in pairs. For instance, if a car has a number which reads 78893, add the two eights and credit the player with a total of 16. The first player to reach 100 wins.

36. PASSWORD
Pssss.. Password is based on the television game show of the same name. Teams of two are set up a sender and a receiver. A member on the opposing

Another way to play: A variation of

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38. ALPHABET ROAD

Take a crack at spotting all the letters of the alphabet, in alphabetical order, on road signs. The trick is, players must find words that begin with each letter. That is, the letter cannot be part of the word, but rather, it must be the first letter of the word. For example, player one must find a word that begins with a. A road sign that says, Road Work Ahead would in fact be an acceptable answer for the letter a (the word ahead earns a point). However, if the sign simply says, Road Work, the letter a cannot be counted because its simply part of the word road.

For those who wish to make the game more challenging, the rules become more restrictive as players must recite words that begin and end with the same letter, but must have the same number of letters. Yet another variation is for players to choose one letter or sound for acceptable answers. Players will find that a handful of letters including j, q, x, and z have few if any possibilities.

41. TALLY HO
Everyone picks a number 1 to 9. Nobody can pick the same number. Now take note of every license plate the group spots. Each time a players number appears on the plate of a passing car, that person gets one point. If the number appears twice on the same license plate, the player gets four points. If it appears three times, she gets six points. The first person to reach 50 points wins the game.

39. ONE HUNDRED ONE

Players choose a color or an object and then count until a total of one hundred one of that item has been spotted on the road. Popular items to look for include traffic lights, American flags, statues, rivers, waterfalls, churches, red cars, etc. A competitive variation has each person choose a different item or color of car and race to reach the 101 mark.

42. TACK EM ON
Some of the most common words in the English language are composed of just two or three letters. But other, less common words can be up to ten, eleven, or even twelve letters long! Player one picks a letter and adds two letters to form a word. But she doesnt tell the other players the word. Instead, she offers a clue. After player two guesses the word, he thinks of a new word with three letters and offers his own clue...and so on and so on.

40. FIRST AND LAST

The object of the game is to name words that begin and end with the same letter or begin and end with the same sound. There are a number of ways this game can be played. The easiest is for players to simply think of words that begin and end with the same letter or sound, such as amoeba or dude or click.

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For example: Player one picks the letter W. She says, W plus 2 is the opposite of lose. Player two must guess the word win. Player two might then say, W plus three is an ugly bump. Player three must guess the word wart. Player three might continue with W plus four is where a sail boat is docked. Player four says, wharf. You can continue this game until you run out of words to think of, or until nobody else can guess the words from the clues.

two must immediately reply with an associated word; a word that has a direct connection to the first. Then its back to the first team; the next player recites a word associated with the prior word, and so on. The trick is, at any point in the game, a player can yell out the word reverse! at which point the next player up on the opposite team must list all the words up to that point in reverse order. A well needed example: Player on team one says sun; player on team two says moon; player on team one says night; player on team two says, day; player on team one says break; player on team two says leg; player on team one says knee; player on team two hollers REVERSE! The next player up on team one must recite all the words up to that point in reverse: knee, leg, break, day, night, moon, and sun. If he remembers all the words correctly, the person to shriek, reverse is out of the game. If not, the player who could not recite the words correctly, and in order, is out of the game and the round continues. The player to shout reverse revives the round by picking up from the last word acknowledged before screaming reverse. In this case, the word knee. To re-start the round, she might say the word bend. (Knee-bend.)

43. FLY TO SATURN

Before you set off on your intergalactic journey to the uncharted planet of Saturn, youll probably want to bring along some sundries. But can you remember the entire list of goods? Player one chooses an object he plans to bring to Saturn. For example, he starts the game by declaring, Im flying to Saturn, and I will bring a tree. Player two must add to the list by bringing something that complements the first object, which, in this case, is a tree. He might say, Im flying to Saturn, and I will bring a pot for the tree. Player three continues the round and says, Im flying to Saturn, and I will bring some dirt for the pot for the tree. Player four might say, Im flying to Saturn and I will bring some grass for the dirt for the pot for the tree. This continues until only one player can correctly name all the items flying to Saturn.

45. FARMYARD
An unsophisticated pass time that goes hand-inhand with a bucolic drive through the countryside. Divide into two teams the right-hand side of the car and the left-hand side of the car. Each group is trying to spot as many animals as possible on the side of the road on which they sit. Cows, bulls, horses, lambs and pigs are worth 5 points each; poultry, such as chickens, geese, ducks, and turkeys are

44. ASSOCIATION
Players form teams of two and allow each other to take turns. A player on team one says a word, any word. A player on team

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worth 10 points each; dogs and cats are worth 15 points each. All other animals are worth 20 points each. (If either team spots a whole herd of animals, count quickly before the car zooms past them!) As an added dimension, a well, a barn, and a grain silo are worth 25 points each, and a farmer in the flesh is worth 30 points. But be careful! If either team passes a graveyard on its side of the road, all players on that team lose each and every point! The team to reach 100 points wins the game.

unusual situations. Then everyone contemplates how he or she would truthfully respond. Chances are, everyone will expose a great deal as they uncover their values, ideals, motives, and basic thought processes.

48. SCREEN TEST

All right, so youre no Hoffman, Newman, Pacino or Cruise. But there is a struggling actor deeply in all of us begging to surface. Someone is chosen as the Director. The Director has the players express various moods or emotions happiness, fright, anger, dismay, surprise, excitement, pride, boredom, etc. Each player gets one chance at a screen test to make it big. The actor who displays a winning performance gets an Academy Award. The player who has the most awards at the end of the game wins.

46. MOTION SICKNESS

Player one begins the game by performing any action she chooses, such as scratching her nose, tugging at her earlobe, blinking twice, sticking out her tongue, etc. The next player must repeat that motion and then add one of his own, and so it continues until players drop out as they incorrectly mimic the motions. After a few motions are strung together, players are going to look like one, very nervous group of people.

Another way to play: The Director has all the players do an impression of someone famous or someone you all know personally. The person who does the best impression wins an award.

49. DOUBLE TALK

Two people start a conversation based on a word they have chosen. They never, however, use the word, but instead, talk about the thing it stands for. Confused? Lets try one. As an example, consider the word shade. The first person might say, Its the last thing I want at the beach. His confidant answers, Mine helps me sleep in the morning. One of the players thinks shes guessed the word, and, without using it, joins the conversation. We have three big

47. WHAT IF?

What if scientists spotted a spaceship from another planet headed toward earth what would you do? Or what if you found a box in the park filled with $10,000...would you return it? What if you learned that your friend was embezzling would you call the police? Players take turns conceiving of spellbinding, absorbing, intriguing, or

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ones in the living room. No one is allowed to say the word, but as players think they have it, they join in the conversation. Their remarks soon prove them right or wrong.

mystery figure over the age of sixty? and so on. The first player to guess correctly chooses the next mystery figure.

50. TRUE OR FALSE

This game brings new meaning to the expression, wearing your heart on your sleeve. Players take turns divulging two things about themselveshowever, only one statement is true the other is false. The other group members have to guess which statement is authentic and which is a fabrication. For example, player one might say, I was voted most popular in high school, and I broke my leg three times. After the other players guess which statement is false, they must explain why they chose that statement from the other.

52. SEMI SEARCH & AIR HORN

The object of this game is to spot all the 18-wheelers that come roaring past on the freeway. Each player selects a color. The first to see 10 big rigs in his or her color wins. Tip: select from the most common hueswhite, black, green, red, yellow, or blue. Double your fun and play Air Horn at the same time. If you get a truck to honk, you automatically win. How do you get a big rig to blow a horn? When you pass a big truck, with your fist clenched, make a pulling down motion while smiling at the truck driver. If youre lucky, hell pull his air horn and toot back!

51. INCOGNITO
Player one thinks of a famous person, or mystery figure. She gives the other players a two-word description about the figure using that persons first and last initials. For example, player one might say, fabulous singer. Players must think of well-known people with the initials FS who fit the bill. In this case, the answer is Frank Sinatra. If each player has guessed once and the identity of the mystery figure has not been revealed, players are allowed to ask one yes or no question before the next guess. For example, Is this person alive? or Was he or she a politician? or Is the

53. ALPHABET SOUP

A is for apple and b is for beautiful The alphabet serves as the foundation for the worlds most enjoyable games. Choose from a number of different subjects like music, sports, animals, countries. Each player must provide an answer that begins with her letter as the group makes its way through the entire 26 letters of the alphabet. For example, the group chooses song titles as its subject. The first person, who has the letter a, replies with America the Beautiful. The next person, who has the letter b, cites Back in the U.S.S.R., the third player continues with Country Roads and so on.

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54. ALPHA-CHAT
Can the group carry on a conversation using each and every letter of the alphabet? The object of this game is to maintain a conversation in which the first letter of the first word in each sentence follows an alphabetical order. Keep in mind that the sentences must make sense and follow a logical sequence, and players join together as a team. Player one opens with a sentence starting with a. The second player must follow with a sentence beginning with a b as the third players sentence begins with the letter c and so on. A round may go like this: Player one: Ask your Mom if you can go out and play today. Player two: Boy, I hope so because its going to be nice outside. Player three: Come down to the park so we can play baseball. Player four: Dont forget your gloves. Player five: Everyone should bring their cleats. The round continues until someone cant think of a sentence that makes logical sense.

round might go like this: Player one: How are you today? Player two: Fine, and you? Player three: Isnt the weather beautiful? Player four: Have you ever seen it so sunny outside? Player one: Do you think its over 80 degree in the sun? Doesnt this sound like fun?

55. SPIN A YARN

Imagine a Halloween party where a guest shows up wearing an aliens mask. To boot, as a gag, the guest has an arrow popping out of one side of his head. Come to find out, this guest isnt wearing a mask at all hes really a native of Mars! The object of this game is for all the players to create a zany storyone phrase at a time. Each player adds a phrase of his own to the story, adding to the prior phrase. The trick is, he must add his phrase after he repeats all the other phrases cited up to that point; in essence, reciting the whole story. While its easy in the beginning, it gets a lot tougher as the story gets longer, zanier, and more complicated. Heres how the alien story might unfold: player one says, A green alien. Player two adds to that and says, A green alien showed up at a Halloween party. Player three might then say, A green alien showed up at a Halloween party with an arrow on his head, and so on. The winner is the last one who can spin the yarn in its entirety without getting tripped up.

Another way to play: To make the game a bit more difficult, the group chooses a topic that everyone must stick to. For example, the conversation must be about someone everyone knows, or a specific sport, or the last family vacation, etc. Its also fun, however, to remove the competition and see how long the group can carry on a sane conversation.
Yet another way to play: Players carry on a conversation using only questions as the chat takes place. Player one starts by asking a question to another player, who in turn answers with a question. This is answered with yet another question, and so on. Each question should have some sort of logical relationship to the prior one. A

56. INITIAL REPLIES

The two or three most significant letters for most of us tends to be our initials. There are many things we can do with those letters to generate fun. Someone thinks of a question and all players must think of an answer

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that consists of words beginning with his or her initials. For example, the question could be, What do you like to do on vacation? Mary Smith might reply, mostly sleep while John Doe may report, jog diligently. Take turns asking questions. Players who cannot answer a question within 30 seconds drop out of the game. The last remaining player wins. If your initials are QX, take a nap.

found in a grocery store, electric things, famous authors, etc. The list is endless. For example, lets say the camp counselor chooses things found in a zoo. He begins the game by declaring, Im going camping and I can bring a bear. The first player says, Im going camping and I can bring a baseball bat. The camp counselor tells him no, he cannot bring a baseball bat. The next player says, Im going camping and I can bring a monkey. The camp counselor tells him yes, he can bring a monkey. The round continues until everyone has had one turn. Then the camp counselor starts the next round. This time, he might say, Im going camping and I can bring a tiger. This goes on until everyone guesses the category. The last person to catch on stays home and skins the fish.

Another way to play: Extend play to include all the letters in everyones first and last name. Players take turns creating their own, personalized greeting cards about the other people in the car using all the letters in each players name. For example, if player one decides to describe her brother, Joe Smith, she might say, J is for jovial, O is for open minded, E is for everyones buddy, S is for smart, M is for musically inclined and so on.

58. TRAITS 57. GOIN CAMPIN

Heres one camping trip where your analytical skills are sure to pay off more than your knack to pitch a tent. The game begins when a camp counselor decides what the other players are allowed to bring camping. The trick is, only the camp counselor knows what those things are. The object of the game is for everyone else to guess what he or she can bring on the overnight excursion by process of elimination. The category the camp counselor chooses can be just about anything: Things that start with the letter t, green things, things Heres your chance to say it like it is. Choose a person in the car and take turns using all the letters of the alphabet to describe him or her. For example, the first player might say, A is for alluring. The next player might say, B is for bossy. Next might be C is for constantly talking, then D is for downright handsome, so on and so forth. (For your own good, try to keep descriptions on the lighter side. At some point, everyone including you will be in the hot seat!)

Another way to play: Expand the

game to include people that are not necessarily traveling in the car, but who everyone in the group knows personally. That includes relatives, friends, neighbors, teachers, etc.

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59. ROUND THE WORLD

This game is sure to tax everyones geographical knowledge as well as their memories. The first player names a place shed like to visit a town, city, state, or country. The next player repeats this place and adds another. Trick is, the next place must start with the last letter of the previous location. This continues as each player repeats all the previous places, and adds one. Confusing? Not really An example round: Connecticut, Toronto, Oregon, Nairobi, Indiana, Alaska, Arkansas, San Jaun, New Mexico, Orlando, Oman, Nevada, Albuquerque, Encino, etc. Each player has 15 seconds to think of a new place and to begin repeating the list of places that have already been cited. Anyone who fails to repeat all the places previously named, correctly and in order, or who takes longer than 15 seconds to finish, drops out of the game.

be created. For example, consider the name John Lee Smith. Players can make the following words: No, hot, him, his, son, thin, this, it, etc. Use the names of all passengers in the car. (Families might want to limit play to first and middle names instead of first and last names.) To keep the game competitive, offer one point for two- and three-letter words, two points for four-letter words, three points for five-letter words, and a bonus of five points for six-letters or more. The player with the highest score wins the round.

61. SEGUE
This challenging game requires ingenuity, forethought, and a vivid imagination. By definition, segue is a transition, or lead in to something else. In the context of this game, think of it as a bridge from one word to the next. The object of Segue is to transition from one word to the next and to determine how your opponent got there. For example, player one says hair. Player two says paint. The first player must think of the segue, or bridge word, that the second player used to connect the two words in this case, spray hair-spraypaint. Other examples include: couch-potatopeeler; pill-box-car; eye-brow-beater; hairspray-paint; basketball-court-yard; sneaker-lace-tablecloth; desk-chair-man; telephone-book-worm; farm-yard-stick; tree-trunk-load; jelly-doughnut-hole; waxpaper-mache; tennis-elbow-room. Its suggested that the first word always be a noun. Verbs can be first, but its more difficult to find a match. Also, use nouns that are fairly common and simple; if the words become too sophisticated, it becomes

Another way to play: An easier way to play Around the World doesnt require that locations be repeated before adding a new one players simply name a place that starts with the last letter of the previous answer. (Much less taxing on the brain.) Yet another way to play: Players can choose to limit acceptable answers to specific categories. Lets say, for example, that only cities can be named no states, countries, provinces, continents, etc., are allowed.

60. MONIKER
Whats in a name? Plenty, if its yours. Using the letters of your first, middle and last names, see how many new words can

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that more difficult to really bridge the two words. Remember, players should really work together as a team.

62. 20 QUESTIONS
Simply would not be feasible to compile 101 word games and not include the most famous of all, Twenty Questions. Someone thinks of a subject and gives one clue. That clue is one of three possibilities its an animal, vegetable, or mineral. The rest of the players have twenty questions to guess the subject. Questions must be phrased so either a yes or a no response can be given. A direct guess at the subject counts as a question. Players must wait their turn to make a guess. The first player to figure out the subject wins the game and gets to choose the next topic.

one to spell his or her word wins the round. (Competing words should have the same number of letters.) Or, players can spell the same word but choose different colored cars. Still another variation is to choose sides literally. One group looks for letters on the right side of the car while the other looks on the left.

64. LICENSE TO SPELL

Heres one 26-letter word that everyone knows how to spell. Playo as a team. Everyone works together to spot all the letters of the alphabet on license plates of passing cars or trucks. The trick is, youve got to find all your ABCs in alphabetical order, and only the first letter on a license plate counts. The game may take weeks to finishits ideal for a long road trip.

Another way to play: One of the more popular ways to play Twenty Questions is with famous people dead or alive as subjects instead of the classic animal, vegetable, or mineral. Or, if players happen to be family or friends, the group may decide to choose as a subject someone everyone knows personally.

65. GHOST
Dont look now, but theres a ghost in the SUV, and it could be a passenger on board The object of Ghost is to not become one and the way to do that is to not spell a word. It starts like this: One player selects a letter of the alphabet. The next player chooses another letter, careful that those two letters do not spell a word. The third player chooses yet another letter to add to the first two, again, avoiding spelling a word. This goes on until an unlucky player spells a word with four or more letters.

63. ROAD SCRABBLE

This game is a great way to fill up some time on the road, particularly when the road trip looks as if it might last awhile. Choose a word, preferably one with a lot of letters. Now spell the word using only the first letters of license plates on passing cars. For example, lets say the word is artichoke. Look for an a, an r, a t, so and so forth, until the word is spelled. To really heat up the competition, players should choose their own words. The first

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For example, the first player says b. The next player says a. The third player says k. At this point, bak does not spell a word. Now, the fourth player cannot say e because that would spell the word bake. That player would have to say another letter, such as i for baking to keep the round going. So what prevents someone from choosing an obscure letter like g following the letters b-a-k? For one thing, there is no word in the dictionary that is spelled with the letters b-a-k-g. It simply doesnt exist. Players must have a word in mind each time they add a letter to the string. In the example above, player three added the letter k to b-a. She had in mind the word b-a-k-e. The object, though, is to not spell a word. Player four then must avoid choosing an e because he would have in fact spelled the word bake and ended the game. If a player cannot think of a word to form with the combination of letters that has come to her, she may challenge the player before her. If that player was bluffing and does not have a word in mind, hes considered dead. If he does have a word, then shes dead. After a player spells three words, she becomes a ghost and is out of the game. She can then haunt the others and anyone who talks to her also becomes a ghost and is out of the game.

new letter is before or after the previous letter.

67. NAME THAT TUNE

Name that Tune is based on the television game show of the same name. Hum a tune for the other players and let them guess the name of the song. Pick from rock and roll, country, top forty, jazz, blueswhatever type of music you like. In fact, players can choose to play the game the same way as the TV show by challenging the others and humming just a few bars of a song. The winning player will guess the song in as few notes as possible.

Another way to play: An alternate version of this game is to hum a tune (with no restriction on the number of notes) and have the other players deduce not only the name of the song, but the artist who recorded it as well.

68. WHATS MY LINE

Some of our most popular expressions come from movie stars, sports figures, politicians, and others whove left an impression on American culture. Take turns spouting off some of those famous lines as the other players guess who coined them. Think of movies and TV shows, well-known speeches, books, sporting events, battles of war, songs, adages, and American icons. Some examples: Football is an incredible game. Sometimes, its so incredible, its unbelievable, Tom Landry; You wouldnt have one if wed beaten you, Yogi Berra; I

66. GHOSTS PLUS

Trickier and more challenging than Ghosts, but clearly as much fun. (And one could argue, its more frightening since its so much harder!) All the same rules of Ghosts apply. The difference is, after the first letter has been given, each player must specify whether his

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can accept failure, but I cant accept not trying, Michael Jordan; Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change,

Helpful Hint: There are many websites dedicated to the thousands and thousands of famous quotes from people in history. It might be worth visiting a site or two before planning your next road trip to familiarize yourself with some of the quotes and those responsible for their creation.

someone all players know (a friend, family member, or co-worker). For example: Lets say the license plate is 34DC89. In this case, the player must think of a name with the initials DC. He might say, Dick Clark, Don Corleone, Dana Carvey. If the license plate has more than two letters, use the first two for the game. The excitement begins immediately as players race to shout a name before everyone else.

69. HOLLYWOOD TUNES

Just like Name That Tune, with Hollywood Tunes, a player hums a song. But this time, its not just any song, its a theme song from a movie or television series and the others must guess the title of the production from which the theme song originates. Take for example that memorable and terrifying refrain that was played every time the shark was about to appear in the motion picture thriller Jaws. Other examples: Think of I Love Lucy, The Jeffersons, Laverne & Shirley, The Godfather, The Honeymooners, MASH, West Side Story, The Brady Bunch, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Field of Dreams, Leave it to Beaver, The Tonight Show, All in the FamilyTry to stump opponents by choosing tunes from shows and movies that werent quite so popular.

71. LAUTO (LOTTO)

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. But how long is that line? Put your money where your mouth is and take bets as to how far youll travel before reaching your final destination. Each passenger bets the number he or she thinks the odometer will read when the car reaches its last parking spot. All bets must be placed before departure and must be to the nearest tenth of a mile. LAuto is more enjoyable when there are stakes involved.

Another way to play: Close your eyes

at the mile marker and guess when the car has traveled one mile.

72. STRAIGHT FACE

The object of this game is not to laugh. One player is the designated straight man. Another player is chosen as the comedian and must, in anyway he or she can, make the straight man laugh out loud. The trick is, it has to be done within sixty seconds.

70. SHOUT
As cars pass by, look carefully at their license plates. The object of the game is to take the first two letters of the plate and shout the name of a famous person, (fictional or real), or

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The comedian may do impersonations, tell dirty jokes, make ridiculous faces, etc. If the straight man busts up, its all over.

73. ACRONYMS
Many words in the English language are actually groups of letters from the alphabet. Think about it. How many times a week do Americans visit an ATM or watch TV? How many parents belong to the PTA or drive an SUV? How many people have written an IOU or an FYI? Take turns going through the alphabet naming an acronym that begins with each letter. First person starts with an acronym beginning with the letter a, followed by the second person naming one that starts with the letter b, and so on. The tricky part is, players must tell the rest of the group what the acronym stands for; if the person doesnt know it, shes out of the game. Example: Player one says, A is for ATM, which stands for automated teller machine. Player two says, B is for BBB, which stands for the Better Business Bureau. Player three continues with, C is for CPA, which stands for Certified Public Accountant. Players who fail to think of an acronym within one minute, or players who dont know what the acronym stands for, are out of the game.

the point. Problem is, big words are not part of most peoples everyday vocabulary. But players just might be surprised at how many words they really do know. Test yourself. Some examples of tough words: scintillating, ethereal, auspicious, ramification, guffaw, androgynous, magnanimous, etc. The game really gets interesting when players challenge each other as to whose definition is most accurate. (It would help to have a dictionary close by to settle disputes.) Also, make sure that the player who gives the word can spell it definitions are not enough to win a round.

75. PEDIDAL
How often do you spot an oncoming car with a broken headlight or a passing car with a missing taillight? Probably a lot more often than you realize. Thats the premise of Pedidal. Pedidal is played at dusk and into the night when cars turn on their lights. The first person to spot a car with one headlight or taillight shouts the word Pedidal. That person gets to punch (or, in some families, kiss) a player of his or her choice. (As an aside, nobody seems to know where or how the word Pedidal originated. Just go with the flow.)

74. WORD POWER

Although the rules are quite simple, this is a thought-provoking word game. The object is to stump opponents by giving them ten dollar words to define. The person who correctly defines the word gets

Another way to play: Some families shun the idea of broken lights and instead prefer to up the ante. The game is called Fuzz. When anyone in the car spots a law enforcement vehicle, he or she screams FUZZ!!! Lets just hope that the vehicle spotted isnt behind yours with flashing lights

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76. FILLER-UP
Unless someone has a personalized registration, its rare that the arbitrary letters of a license plate actually spell a word. Heres a chance to make up for whats missing between the lines, or, in this case, the letters. As a car passes by, take a look at the letters on its license plate. Take turns filling in whats missing by putting letters between them to form new words. For example, lets say the letters are RD. Possible answers include read, road, related, ride, so on and so forth. If the license plate has more than two letters, choose the first two in the sequence to create new words. Better yet, use all the letters if thats possible. If players come across letters like ZX or YQ, skip those and choose another license plate.

baffling as players get closer to the end of the alphabet. And remember, each player must begin his or her turn with the statement, In the trunk of my car, I found... Otherwise, that player is automatically out of the game. The first person to correctly name all the items found in the trunk of his or her car wins.

78. ALPHABET TWIST

One of the first things mastered in first grade (after learning to count) is the alphabet. Those 26 letters are burned in the brain. Or are they? Add an interesting twist to the alphabet. Here are some ideas: 1. Recite the alphabet but skip every other letter 2. Recite the alphabet backwards 3. Recite the alphabet backwards and skip every other letter 4. Recite the alphabet and skip all vowels 5. Recite the alphabet backwards and skip all vowels 6. Recite the alphabet and count numbers in between each letterFor example, A, 1, B, 2, C, 3, D, 4, E, 5, F, 6 Its much tougher than you think. 7. Do the same thing as number six, but backwards. Start with the number 26, followed by the letter Z, and so on. (If you can do this one quickly and flawlessly, youre a genius for sure.) Think up your own alphabet twist rules. Whatever you choose, make sure to set a time limit for each exercise. Two minutes should be the limit. Whoever manages to complete the drill correctly and/or the fastest wins the round.

77. IN THE TRUNK OF MY CAR

The object of this game is to use each letter of the alphabet in one, very long sentence. A player starts the game by declaring, In the trunk of my car, I found something that begins with the letter a. The next player must repeat what the first person said and add a word that starts with the letter b. The next player must include a word that starts with c, then d, so on and so forth. For example, one sentence may take the following form: In the trunk of my car, I found an apple, a bear, a coat, a dog, etc. Keep in mind that the game can get rather

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79. OUTTA-STATEPLATE
They say those who travel the famed Route 66 from Chicago to LA will see at least one license plate from all 50 states on their excursion. But even if youre only driving from the supermarket to the hardware store, this game can be a ton of fun. As you travel, note the outta-state-licenseplates passed on the road. The object is to find all fifty (or all 48-contiguous) states before reaching your final destination. Since thats highly unlikely during a tenminute drive, theres no need to limit the game to one trip. Extend play over a period of time, lets say, for a month. During those four weeks, keep a running tab of all license plates found until your goal is reached.

count...the more confused you become...the better the game! A variation of this game is called Bizz. Instead of multiples of 7 replaced with the word Buzz, multiples of 5 are replaced with the word Bizz. If the group really wants to make things complicated, theyll play the tongue-twisting, mind-boggling game of Bizz-Buzz and use the words Buzz and Bizz in place of anything divisible by seven and five, respectively. Yikes!

81. SPLIT
Split is one game that will certainly tax your word power to its fullest extent. The object of Split is for each player to think of a word that, when divided in two, makes two new words. Sound tricky? It is. There are literally hundreds of words that are made up of either one or two syllables that make brand new words when they are split in two. Some examples: car-rot, invent, and-iron, be-at, me-at, be-low, bedroom, imp-act, fat-her, past-time, ten-don, may-or, etc. The player who cites the most words wins the game.

Another way to play: Ditch the license plates take turns naming all fifty states.

80. BUZZ, BIZZ, & BIZZ BUZZ

Listen up folks! The essence of Buzz (and Bizz) is speed. Players take turns counting out loud beginning with the number one. The object of the game is to avoid saying any number that contains the numeral 7 or is divisible by 7. Those numbers include, of course, 7, 14, 17, 21, 27, 28, 35, 37 etc. In place of those numbers, players shout the word Buzz. Sound easy? Wait and try it. The one who remains in the game the longest wins. Remember, the faster you

82. SPEED TRAP

Speed Trap is just the game for fast-talkers and big mouths. A player is given a letter. She has sixty seconds to think of as many words as possible that begin with that letter. The best part is, players can try to break their opponents concentration by shouting, singing, or making faces. (Hitting is not recommended.) The player who tallies up the most words in a minute wins the game.

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83. SWITCH IT
Players choose a category and then name items from that category in alphabetical order. First player starts with the letter a, the second player has a b, and so on. Easy enough? Maybe not After a round begins, a player can choose to change the category after he provides his answer for the original category. He must, however, have an answer in mind for his new category that starts with the next players letter. Lets say the group chooses sports as the initial category. Player one names something sports-related beginning with the letter a, such as aluminum bat. The second player replies with boxing gloves for the letter b while the third chooses catchers mitt for the letter c. This logic continues on. Heres where it can get challenging: The third player, after replying with catchers mitt, announces that he wants to change the category to countries. He must have a country in mind that begins with a d, the next letter up for play. If player four cant think of country that begins with a d, she may challenge player three to see if in fact he was bluffing. If he has no answer, hes out and the game continues. If he did have an acceptable answer, then player four is out. Make the game challenging by choosing unique categories so players truly think about their replies.

A round might go like this: Players decide to spell the word sunrise. Each person picks his own category of cars that he will use to spell the word such as all black cars or all American made cars. He then looks for the letters that spell sunrise on the license plates of cars in his chosen category. The trick is, the word sunrise must be spelled s-u-n-r-i-s-e. In other words, if the first black car that whizzes by has a u on the plate, but no s, he cant count the u. He must wait until a license plate with an s appears first. After he gets the s, next up is the u. He must look for a black cart that includes a u somewhere on its plate. Then on to the n, then the r, etc. The way to win is to choose a category thats quite common; all purple cars with two doors are less likely to be seen than white, four-door sedans. To make the game even more challenging, only allow players to use the first or last letter that appears on each plate.

85. CROONER
Ok, Ok, so you dont croon like Frank Sinatra. That doesnt matter in this game. Someone chooses a common word such as love, see, people, or free. Now everyone takes a turn thinking of lyrics from a song that contains the chosen word. For example, a round with the word love might go like this: Love, love me do, Love, love will keep us together, Love is a many splendid thing, etc.

84. LICENSE PLATE BINGO

The object of the game is to be the first player to spell a word using the letters from license plates on passing cars. The first player to spell the word in the order in which the letters fall shouts BINGO!

Another way to play: The other version of this game, which tends to be a little easier, uses a concept instead of a word. For example, someone chooses songs about travel. A round might go like this: Lord I was born a ramblin man,

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Im leaving on a jet plane, Ill be home for Christmas etc. Other concepts to consider: Songs with a color, love songs, songs that begin with the letter b, songs by Elton John, the list is endless. The real fun is the actual performance as players do their best to belt out a tune.

88. THESAURUS
This is a great way to increase vocabulary and fine-tune the manner in which players use words according to actual definitions. Designate one player as the teacher. The teacher chooses a word and the other players must think of synonyms (words that mean the same thing). For example, the teacher may choose the word walk. Players might reply with any of the following correct responses: meander, amble, or stroll. Each player is required to find his own synonym. The game gets more challenging when adjectives are chosen instead of verbs like walk. Think, for example, how many words have essentially the same meaning as happy or love.

86. MY FAVORITE
Each one of us is unique in his or her own way. Tell each other what things are considered to be a favorite and why. Pick a category, such as desserts, cars, movies, sports figures, school subjects, and so on. Players will learn something remarkable about those who theyre traveling withthings that may be quite surprising.

89. BRAINSTORM 87. THINK FAST

Get readyget setgo! Someone is designated as It. That person, or It, points to a player and says a fourletter word (keep it clean, please). In ten seconds, that player must think of four words that begin with each letter of the word chosen by It. For example, lets say It chooses the word bark. The player on the hot seat has ten seconds to say boy, attic, razor, and key. If he cant do it before times up, he becomes It for the next round. You can make the game more challenging (and stressful) by choosing categories for the words. For instance, players must shout four words related to sports, animals, songs, flowers, books, and so forth. In corporate boardrooms, this exercise is known as a dreaming session or a brainstorming meeting. Participants are encouraged to let their imaginations run amok and to think out of the box; to be as inventive and innovative as possible. Pick a topic and spend time assessing how the group would manage various issues if it were up to them. Topics can be anything that interests the players: Lets say the group picks a current event, tries to solve a major world problem, invents a new machine, or markets a wild idea. Topics can run the gamut from humorous, to batty, to bizarre, to contemplative, to serious and somber.

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Here are some ideas: Invent a machine that keeps an ice cream cone from melting at the beach; Devise a plan to help quell unrest in the Middle East; Invent a pill that prevents people from aging; Dream up a website that could make millions; Explain the origins of the universe Remember the cardinal rule in the boardroom: no idea is a bad idea.

subject. For example, the subject (usually a noun) can be just about anything; a shoe, a car, a garbage can, a head of hair, etc. The guesser begins by asking each player, Hows yours? Players take turns giving inventive, evasive descriptions about theirs. Answers must always be truthful, but not necessarily direct. That is, a good answer can be descriptive but remain a double entendre. For instance, lets say players choose to describe something as mundane as their vehicles. Player one may say, Mines long. Player two could say, Mines sleek. Player three might say, Mines multicolored. This continues until the guesser has determined the subject.

90. NUMBERS UP
When you think about it, some of the most popular expressions, proverbs, songs, movies, TV shows, books, etc. begin with numbers. Were all familiar with the famous biblical passage, forty days and forty nights...the popular television series Threes Company...the expression six of one, a half dozen of the other...the classic movie, 101 Dalmatians. Take turns pondering assorted proverbs, adages, expressions, clichs and so forth that begin with numbers. Each player gets thirty seconds to initiate an answer. When a player cannot answer, shes out of the game. Last member with a response wins the round.

92. MIRROR, MIRROR

What happens when you look in the mirror? You see a reverse image...youre actually looking at yourself backwards. Take that concept and apply it to words. Take turns thinking of words that have a meaning when they are spelled forwards and backwards. Give one point for each letter in the word. Three-letter words are worth three points; four letter words are worth four points, etc. The person with the most points at the end of the round wins the game. Some examples: rat/tar (3 points); stab/bats (4 points); stool/loots (5 points). Score an extra two-points (8 points total) for words that have six letters.

91. HOWS YOURS?

Never mind mine, hows yours? This game is downright uproarious. One player is chosen as the guesser. The other players secretly pick a subject and whisper it to each other. The object of the game is for the guesser to determine the

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93. LINE UP
Are you fast? Are you quick-witted? Do you have a mind like a trap? If you answered yes to any or to all of these questions, youre sure to be a top contender in this game. The object is for players to continue to add words in alphabetical order that match the category determined by player one. Each subsequent player must not only think of his answer with the letter of the alphabet that falls on his turn, but he must also recite all the prior answers from the other players. Sound confusing? Its really not. Heres an example: Player one chooses the category golf. He opens the game with a golf-related word that starts with the letter a. He says address. Player two continues, address, bunker. Player three follows with, address, bunker, chip, while player four proceeds with, address, bunker, chip, drive, and so on. A player drops out if she fails to list all the words in the proper sequence, or if she cannot proclaim a new word that begins with her assigned letter.

Just be sure that the group asking the question is certain of the answer. Its a good idea to formulate all the questions before the game starts. A good round consists of a series of ten questions from each team. The team that gets the most number of correct answers wins.

95. CLICH
Many a truth is said in jestpeople in glass houses shouldnt throw stonesan apple a day keeps the doctor awayknowledge is powerlive and let livelife is a bowlful of cherriesoutta the mouths of babes Get the picture? Players take turns citing different clichs. But thats just the beginning. Spend a few minutes discussing what that clich truly means and use real life examples to support it. Let your hair downbe introspective, empathetic and insightful. Take, for example, the clich, If you have nothing good to say, say nothing at all. What does that really mean to the group? Can you site an example of when thats occurred in your life? Share it with the other players.

94. TRIVIA
Put your minds in first gear...its time to test your mental strength with Quiz Show. Players form two teams and ask each other intellectual questions questions like, In what year did Columbus discover America, or Whats the furthest planet from the sun, or Whats the periodic symbol for hydrogen, or Who invented the polio vaccine. Only one player from each group gets a chance to answer the question. If that person cannot answer, then the other team gets the point. Everyone takes a turn.

96. WORD BUILDER

This game may not make your muscles buff, but it will strengthen your vocabulary. The object of this game is to build words using one letter at a time. Each player takes a turn by adding one new letter to the string of letters the previous players cited in order to build a brand new word.

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For example, player one starts out with a, which of course is a word in and of itself. Player two adds an s to form the word as. Player three adds a p to form the word asp. Player four adds yet another s for the word pass. The letters can be used in any combination, provided all the letters are used each time a player takes his turn. Note that the player who begins the round must start by using a vowel. The first word is the only one that doesnt have to be a word in and of itself. For instance, while the letter a is a word all by itself, the letter e is not. Thats OK. The letter e can be used to start a round. Players drop out when they can no longer add a letter to form a new word using the existing string of letters.

Somebody chooses a color and everyone has ten seconds to name something that just so happens to be that color. Players shout out their answers before the ten seconds is up. The game gets a lot of fun when obscure colors like mauve, aqua, and indigo are chosen.

98. PUNCH LINES

Ever heard a joke and couldnt get the punch line? In this glib game, one player provides the punch line and everyone else takes turns generating a cunning question! A round might go like this: The punch line is, A sign youre getting old. Possible questions: What does it mean when you order Geritol on the rocks? What does it mean when you need a fire permit for your birthday cake? What does it mean when your knees buckle but your belt wont? The player with the best question gets to create the next punch line.

97. RAINBOW GAME

Red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purplethe colors of the rainbow. Take turns spotting five different objects on the road that are colored with one of the rainbow hues. For example, the team might start with yellow. Players might spot a yellow car, a yellow traffic light, a yellow business sign, a yellow divider line, and a yellow truck. Continue until all the colors of the rainbow have been seen on five unique objects.

Another way to play: Krazy Kwestions is a variation of Punch Linesits simply the other way around the game is based on basic questions with far-out answers. For example, a player might ask the team, Why do birds have wings? Everyone takes a turn devising an outlandish answer like, Because birds dont know how to drive a stick-shift, or Because worms like to fly. The most clever and/or the funniest answer wins the round.

Another way to play: A variation of this game revolves around cars that is, players look for all the colors of the rainbow on passing cars. Some families assign one color to each player; the player whose color is spotted on the road five times first wins the round. Yet another way to play: This version uses speed as its challenge.

99. BLANKS
This game is similar to the popular television series, Jeopardy. Players must fill in the blanks based on a clue and sentence provided by the host. The host does not reveal the answer thats up

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to the players to determine. Each player takes a turn answering the hosts clues. If player one cannot determine the answer to the clue, or blank, player two gets a chance, then player three, and so on. Heres how it works: Players jointly choose a category that everyones interested in such as baseball. Someone is chosen to be host, often the individual who knows more about the topic than anyone else in the group. The host offers a clue for each question. The first player to yell out Blank! gets to answer the question. Example: The host offers the first clue: A homerun when all bases are full is called a blank. The first player to scream Blank! and offer the answer grand slam gets the point. Next clue: Blank won the World Series in 1986. In this case, the person to bellow Blank! must reply The Mets. The third clue might be, Blank had the most homeruns in 1961. The answer, Roger Maris. The player with the most points after a round of ten questions wins the round.

101. SENSES
Close your eyes...concentrate not on the loss of your sight, but on your heightened sense of touch...imagine what a golf tee, a tube of lipstick, or a bag of cashews feels like...can you identify these common, everyday objects with your eyes closed? Test it out. One person shuts his eyes and must guess the objects handed to him by the other players. Choose objects from a wallet, a pocketbook, a glove box, a pants pocket. Be imaginative. (Make sure the driver sits this one out.)

100. PARTS IS PARTS

In this game, the sum of the parts is in fact greater than the whole. Someone chooses a place or thing and everyone takes a turn thinking of its component parts. For example, lets say the word golf is chosen. Players might cite golf balls, tees, irons, greens, score cards, etc. If the word football is chosen the answers might be players, stadium, fans, goal post, and so on. The game continues until nobody can think of additional parts.

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