Each morning a word is written in big letters somehow on the wall or on a big screen

All participants have to avoid using that word. The first to say it gets a black mark.

At the end of the week / month prizes are awarded for the least number of black marks.

If the word generation was centralised and the day's word broadcast online to networked screens, then the scoring xcould also be centralised. But this would rely on the honour of the players to correctly report each day's transgressor.

I suggest the words are selected according to relevance. For play at home, the words could be of domestic objects such as kettle, chair, window, garden, shop. For play in an office environment, the words would be for example photocopier, desk, boss, report, coffee
-- pocmloc, Sep 23 2011

Speech recognition devices that are updated by the centralised word generation could allow some kind of conformity in marking, especially if it could be incorporate in something "everyone" carries.

Could be used in advertising though, as a word to be evaded could be scheduled to coincide with a rival's promotion containing that word.

The difficulty of words would be cultural. Not everyone would be perplexed by trying not to say defenestrate, antediluvian or discombobulate - for example ...
-- Aristotle, Sep 23 2011


yeah, we don't say *kettle* much in the US (well not for tea pot water boiling)...it's the same idea as a *swear jar*...when someone says a swear word, they have to put money in the jar then the money is donated or we have a really f***ing good party.
-- xandram, Sep 23 2011


Today's word is: Myrmecophagine.
-- swimswim, Sep 23 2011


//Today's word is: Myrmecophagine.//

Dang... hey wait, does it count if you've already said the word before it's announced ?
-- FlyingToaster, Sep 24 2011


feeling ******? what's the word?
-- po, Sep 24 2011


Spaceavoidance?
-- nineteenthly, Sep 24 2011


Thanks all for your kind comments. Yes it is a bit like a swear box but there is only one word per day and the scores are kept per person. I think that to keep this game vaguely sensible the word has to be a common word that in the normal course of the day would likely get used a lot, hence my suggestions for play here (the hairy northern parts of the UK). Obviously the selection of words would be tweaked to suit the competitors, so "kettle" would not be selected for an American game (except for the mystery scenarios that [xandram] hinted at); and [Aristotle]'s suggestions might only appear when the game is played in the canteen at the crossword factory.
-- pocmloc, Sep 24 2011


In many French cities, this game is played enthusiastically. For example, in Paris, it is played using both the French and English versions of "excuse me".
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Sep 24 2011



random, halfbakery