# Help me cheat at Scattergories

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-cheat-at-scattergories/333353>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [November 30, 2005, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-cheat-at-scattergories/333353 "2005-11-30T10:15:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Avarie537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@Avarie537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avarie537)\
**Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-cheat-at-scattergories/333353/21 "2005-12-02T15:37:07Z")

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> [@c\_carol](#):
>
> No. You’re not. My family enforces this rule very strictly. Any time we play, there are a lot of shrieks of “No! Adjective! Adjective! You can’t do that!”, and game-show style “buzzer” noises, and thumbs-up/thumbs-down voting on the legitimacy of the answers, and loud, enthusiastic arguments. It’s tremendously fun, but it makes it hard to play with people outside the family who Just Don’t Understand The Rules.

We’re the same way!

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**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\
**Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-cheat-at-scattergories/333353/22 "2005-12-02T15:54:44Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> I only played it once, but IIRC, you were allowed to tack on adjectives, and place fast and loose with the definitions. So if the clue called for a state that started with an E, you could write “state of ennui” and get a point.

How about “Ebraska, N”?

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**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\
**Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-cheat-at-scattergories/333353/23 "2005-12-02T16:01:42Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> Bird-Bluejay and Flower-Bluebell would be against the rules

I don’t think that’s right. You can’t use the exact same word on different lines but a Blue Jay and a Bluebell and two very different items. They both count.

And adjective adders have no place at my Scattergories table.

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