game

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

n. amusement, diversion, sport, play; contest, match; plan, purpose; prey (see pursuit). See contention, chance, animal.—adj., slang, sporty, gritty, plucky. See courage, resolution.

II

(Roget's IV) modif.

1. [Plucky]

Syn. spirited, adventuresome, ready and willing*; see brave 1 .

2. [*Lame]

Syn. bad, injured, weak; see disabled .

n.

1. [Entertainment]

Syn. pastime, amusement, diversion, recreation, sport, play; see also entertainment 1 , 2 , sport 1 .

Card games include: poker, whist, bridgewhist, bridge, contract bridge, duplicate bridge, honeymoon bridge, auction bridge, rummy, gin rummy, five hundred, casino, war, euchre, taroc, tarok, railroad euchre, seven-up, cribbage, patience, solitaire, pedro, cinch, hearts, canasta, pitch, old maid, nap, Napoleon, Wellington, bezique, twenty-one, blackjack, baccarat, chemin de fer, Pan (trademark), Uno (trademark). Children's games include: hide-and-go-seek, tag, tap on the icebox, hopscotch, jump rope, hen-and-chickens, andy over, ante over, pretty girl station, prisoner's base, dare base, jacks, marbles, tiddlywinks, mumble-the-peg, mumbletypeg, ball, one old cat, fox and geese, red Rover, king of the hill, crack the whip, leapfrog, statues, London Bridge, ring around the roses, drop the handkerchief; clap in, clap out; puss in the corner, blindman's bluff, shinny, tin-tin-come-in, follow the leader, Simon says, giant step, catch, pom-pom-pullaway, post office, favors, Jerusalem, musical chairs, streets and alleys, run the gauntlet, cops and robbers, soldier, Indian, Marco Polo, duck-on-a-rock, mother-may-I; red light, green light. Party games include: charades, ha-ha, spin-the-bottle, post office, stagecoach, concentration, Twister (trademark), buzz, pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey. Word games include: Scrabble (trademark), crossword puzzles, anagrams, ghost. Board games include: chess, checkers, Chinese checkers, cribbage, backgammon, go; Monopoly, Sorry, Clue, Pictionary, Trivial Pursuit, Parcheesi, Ouija, Mah-Jongg ( all trademarks). Guessing games include: twenty questions, Botticelli, geography, charades.

2. [Competition]

Syn. sport, contest, match, tournament; see competition 2 , sport 3 .

3. [*A trick]

Syn. prank, practical joke, hoax; see joke 1 .

4. [Wild meat, fish, or fowl]

Syn. quarry, prey, ravin; see fish , fowl , meat .

• ahead of the game*,

Syn. winning, doing well, thriving; see successful .

• off one's game*,

Syn. performing poorly, doing badly, failing; see losing 1 .

• play games,

Syn. be evasive, dissemble, put on an act; see deceive , evade 1 , pretend 1 .

• play the game*,

Syn. behave properly, follow the rules, do what is expected; see behave 2 , conform .

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus)

I

n.

1. contest match, competition, tournament, tourney, meet, showdown, round, bout, test of skill.

2. amusement entertainment, pastime, diversion, play, sport, recreation, fun, merriment, romp, clowning, test of skill.

II

a.

brave, courageous, bold, dauntless, fearless, plucky, *gutsy, daring, spirited, eager, enthusiastic, willing.

ANT.: unwilling, *chicken, afraid

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) I noun Actions taken as a joke: fun, play, sport. See WORK. II verb To make a bet: bet, gamble, lay1, play, wager. Idiom: put one's money on something. See GAMBLING. III adjective 1. Having or showing courage: audacious, bold, brave, courageous, dauntless, doughty, fearless, fortitudinous, gallant, hardy, heroic, intrepid, mettlesome, plucky, stout, stouthearted, unafraid, undaunted, valiant, valorous. Informal: spunky. Slang: gutsy, gutty. See FEAR. 2. Disposed to accept or agree: acquiescent, agreeable, minded, ready, willing. Archaic: fain. See WILLING.