Jump to content
BrainDen.com - Brain Teasers
  • 0


Guest
 Share

Question

This is the familar game - (respond to the word posted with a related word) - but with a Brain Den twist.

This game has a winner. And it has some simple rules. Here they are:

Each 'innings' lasts one hundred posts (exact round number - post numbers 100, 200, etc.), after which scores may be tallied. The word association will continue unbroken, but everyone's scores will return to zero.

Scoring is the joint responsibility of the players involved. There will not be a "host" or moderator. Best to keep your own score and then post it at the end of the innings (100-post "game"), resolve disputes among yourselves, and recognize the winner.

In the event of multiple posts responding to the same word, always try to continue the chain by using the first response - this is a game of speed and creativity. In any event, however, only the response that continues the unbroken chain to the end of the innings counts. All other responses score no points, regardless. However you cannot respond to an old post just to nullify a bunch of more recent ones. That will disqualify you from the innings entirely.

Also, you can't post twice consecutively. In other words, you can't post in response to your own trigger word.

Scoring: Your posted word can earn you between -2 (minus two) and +2 (plus two) points, as follows:

-----minus 2 points: you earn this under two conditions:

----------if you cannot explain the association in five words or less (see examples below)

----------if the word does not appear in the ENABLE2K Data Base *

-----minus 1 point: earned for one of two reasons:

----------if your response is the most obvious, specifically the most frequently cited in EAT **

----------if you misspell or misdefine a word, such that your association makes no sense.

-----zero points: if your response appears anywhere in the EAT list for the trigger word. Creativity counts!

-----plus 1 point: if your response is not among the EAT data base responses for the trigger word.

-----plus 2 points: if your response word does not appear in the EAT data base at all.

* ENABLE2K contains 173,528 words. The name is an acronym for "Enhanced North American Benchmark Lexicon, version of year 2000". It is the premier non-copyrighted word list used for most on-line word games, Scrabble ®, etc. The words use North American spelling; sorry Brits, but ...

** The data base we use to determine the most frequently cited associative response is the EAT Data Base. EAT is an acronym that stands for "Edinburgh Associative Thesaurus", and it uses British spellings and usages, which could be significantly different from North American responses for some words, such as "biscuit" -- NB. "cookie" does not even appear in this data base. Sorry, Yanks, but this is the best searchable on-line resource for word association that I know about.

Now here is a quick example of a string of posts: starting with the word "Dead" given in post number 1

Post #2: Dead : Bucket (kick the bucket).

Post #3: bucket > slosh (water sloshes in carried bucket)

Post #4: slosh - tsunami (ocean sloshing)

Post #5: tsunami --> wave

Scoring of this example: Post #2 earns +1 point. The EAT data base lists 40 different answers in response to the word "dead" but "bucket" isn't one of them. Similarly, post #3 earns +1 point because "slosh" is not among EAT's 29 listed responses to "bucket". Post #4 earns +2 points because the word "tsunami" does not even appear in the EAT data base. Post number 5 earns plus one point because the word "wave" does appear in the EAT data base. Post number 5 did not include an associating phrase because the association was assumed to be obvious. You can, however, challenge this poster to provide an association phrase. Note that if Post #2 had said "Dead : Alive", "alive" being the most frequent response in the EAT data base, then that poster would have earned minus 1 point.

Strategy suggestions: If you want to win, you need to post a clever response rapidly and stay as active as possible for the full 100 posts (if there are many players, this will go very fast!). In general, if you have a wide vocabulary, you should be able to think of words that won't appear in the EAT data base. That data base is rather limited, so it may not pay to check EAT before you post (takes too much time!) You need to hurry, but not abandon your senses! Be sure you can defend your response (it might be best to post your five-word association phrase when you post your word).

Let's see how quickly BD'ers can associate all 173,528 words in the data base :lol:

Enjoy! Good luck, everyone!

Beginning word: bludgeon (Yay, I get two points! :D )

Edited by seeksit
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Answers 176
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters For This Question

Recommended Posts

  • 0

Bludgeon : Transformers (Bludgeon is a character in Transformers) +2 points

EDIT: Grr... Reay got it like 5 minutes before me.

Post #3:

Transformers : Voltage (transformers as in the electrical component) +2 points

I have a suggestion for a score sheet, just click [Reply] and delete the top posts, and retain the following and add on to it:

Scores:

  1. seeksit: 2
  2. reaymond: 2
  3. scsw: 2
Edited by scsw
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

Oh, OK ... I'll play a little, but as the perpetrator of this, I don't want to win the first game.

Voltage -- ohm (another electrical term) +2

Scores:

seeksit: 4

reaymond: 2

scsw: 2

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

Ohm : Omega (Omega is the symbol for Ohm) +2

Let's hope this gets the words back to more common English words. :)

Scores:

  1. seeksit: 4
  2. reaymond: 2
  3. scsw: 4

EDIT: Just saw reay's multimeter. It does not appear in ENABLE2K's database. (read OP)

Edited by scsw
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0
Ohm : Omega (Omega is the symbol for Ohm) +2

Let's hope this gets the words back to more common English words. :)

Scores:

  1. seeksit: 4
  2. reaymond: 2
  3. scsw: 4

EDIT: Just saw reay's multimeter. It does not appear in ENABLE2K's database. (read OP)

Multimeter is in wikipedia, but not ENABLE2K! Surprising. It's not apparently a brand name :huh:

Anyhow, the rules are the rules.

Omega --> apocalypse (end-o-alphabet->end-o-time)

Scores:

  1. seeksit: 6
  2. reaymond: 2
  3. scsw: 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

OK, Looked up Multimeter in my unabridged dictionary, it is a registered Trademark. That's why it's not in ENABLE2K. No proper names, or anything capitalized can be used, just like Scrabble ®. Cruel, but I have to give reay a -2 for that.

So trigger word is apocalypse

Scores:

seeksit: 6

reaymond: 0

scsw: 4

Edited by seeksit
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

I was gonna wait it out to see if there are other posts, but being the impatient person I am;

apocalypse : zombie (Apocalypse -> A Resident Evil installment -> Zombies) +2

Scores:

  1. seeksit: 6
  2. reaymond: 0
  3. scsw: 6

With that said, I promise I'll sit out till we have more players. ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

... meanwhile, I've been considering possible rules changes, or an entirely new approach to word association, and I'd like anyone's comments. This game works best if there are a lot of people participating and it goes fast. That's clearly not the situation here :rolleyes:

What I have in mind as a basic premise for a Word Association game is a game that people can jump into without having to wait. Many of the other games here get bogged down if someone is away for a while and it's their turn to "play". This game is meant to offer a quick "in and out" without a lot of long term committment.

What about a completely different scoring system: No restrictions based on word lists--any response is OK, including proper names and trade marks. Scoring could be simply based on the number of letters in the word. One point for each letter. That should keep the mind cranking without having to keep three windows open to check whether the word is in EAT and/or in ENABLE2K. It also allows a late arriver to catch up more easily.

We could call the game Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophilia (Love of long words!)

OK ... zombie --> Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophilia

Oh, dear. I lose at least two points for that one. It's not in ENABLE2K and I can't explain the association in fewer then 5 words (zombies are monsters, you fear monsters, 'monster' is one of the root words in hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia, a "real" word from wiktionary, so if you change 'phobia' to ... oh, never mind. :P )

Scores:

seeksit: 4

reaymond: 0

scsw: 6

Edited by seeksit
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0
I'm in, but just getting the hang of this.

Zombie is not in the EAT database, so any word will get 2 points?

Zombie:Flesh (zombies EAT flesh)

I'm afraid I'm confused, but I'll try anyway--

flesh:DERMIS (flesh layers: epidermis, dermis) +1

Scores:

seeksit: 4

reaymond: 0

scsw: 6

palmerc7:2

CaptainEd:1 (edited from 2: word is in EAT, but not as an association from "flesh")

Edited by CaptainEd
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0
I'm in, but just getting the hang of this.

Zombie is not in the EAT database, so any word will get 2 points?

Zombie:Flesh (zombies EAT flesh)

Although Zombie isn't in the EAT data base, Flesh is; so you get +1 point. You could only get +2 points if your response word was not in the EAT data base (either as a trigger word or as a response word--Flesh is there as both). CaptainEd got it right in his edit.

Also, your score would have depended on whether CaptainEd responded to your trigger word (FLESH) or mine (Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophilia). Since he responded to yours, rather than mine, my score for my association "zombie -> Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophilia" is zero (Thanks Cap'n :) ) instead of minus 2 :P

Therefore:

Scores:

seeksit: 6

reaymond: 0

scsw: 6

palmerc7: 1

CaptainEd: 1

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0
So, back to scsw's excellent formatting suggestion:

Agreed :D

Dermis --> Kermit (sounds like: change 2 letters)

Oh gosh, that's a proper name. I lose two points ;)

Current trigger: KERMIT

seeksit: 4

reaymond: 0

scsw: 6

palmerc7: 1

CaptainEd: 1

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0
kermit-> PIGGY (kermit's girlfriend) +2 (not in EAT at all)

FROM EAT: "piggy was the response to the following stimulli

Number of different answers: 2

Total count of all answers: 2

PIGGY BANK 1 0.50

SQUEAL 1 0.50 "

Need to check both trigger words and responses :) So back to +1 for Piggy

Piggy --> Wiggly (Convenience market chain, Piggly-Wiggly) +2 (Not in EAT)

Current trigger: WIGGLY

seeksit: 6

reaymond: 0

scsw: 6

palmerc7: 1

CaptainEd: 2

Edited by seeksit
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

Uncle --> Remus (tales of Br'er Rabbit, etc.) -2 (proper name)

Current trigger: REMUS

seeksit: 4

reaymond: 0

scsw: 6

palmerc7: 1

CaptainEd: 3

Edited by seeksit
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Answer this question...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

×
×
  • Create New...