Dictionary.

Dictionary is a game for three or more players. You'll need pencils, many identical scraps of paper, one sheet of paper to keep score, and a large (preferably unabridged) dictionary -- one with plenty of words that nobody knows.

Before you begin, decide how many turns you'll play -- make sure that the number of turns are divisible by the number of players (eg. in a 3 person game play for 3 6 or 9 turns, in a 4 person game play for 4 8 or 12 turns). Alternately, play to a set number of points -- as soon as one or more players have passed that number of points, the player with the most points wins. Either way, if a round ends in a tie we play for another round until one person has more points (everyone plays -- not just the finalists).

Each player takes a turn being the person with the dictionary. The player with the dictionary looks for a word that nobody else knows. When s/he thinks that s/he has found one, s/he reads it aloud to make sure that nobody knows what the word means.

Once a word is selected, each player writes a definition for the word on a slip of paper. The idea is to write a definition that reads like a dictionary definition. The player with the dictionary in front of her/him writes down the first definition for the word listed in the dictionary (alternate rule: the player with the dictionary may select the definition from the dictionary s/he wishes to write down).

Each player passes her/his paper to the person with the dictionary. The player with the dictionary gives the papers a quick silent read through (to make sure that s/he can make out the handwriting and/or read any complex words), and then scrambles the paper.

The player with the dictionary then reads each player's definition for the word (without saying which player wrote it). Going clockwise around the table from the reader, each player announces which definition s/he thinks is the real definition.

After going around the table, points are awarded as follows:

• For each incorrect definition guessed, the person with the dictionary gains one point.
• For each incorrect definition guessed, the person who wrote the definition gains one point.
• Each person who guessed the correct definition gains one point.

Play then passes to the next player for the next turn. At the end of the game, the player with the most points wins.