# The Missing Link Word Association Game **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 25, 2003, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-missing-link-word-association-game/209549 "2003-10-25T20:19:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2003, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-missing-link-word-association-game/209549/1 "2003-10-25T20:19:11Z")
Here’s a new game for word association gamers: The missing link game. The rules: Associate a word with the target word – then post a word associated with your first word. The mental sequence is: target, missing link, post. For example: _Target:_ Misery _Missing Link:_ Company _Post:_ Business For added fun, the next poster should also offer a guess at what the missing link word might have been. Thus: Poster A, associating from the target word “baseball”, thinks “bat”. S/he then thinks “belfry” and posts that. Poster B thinks “belfy - church - pew” and posts “pew”, and guesses that the missing link was “bat”. Sample sequence: \*\* Poster A \*\* (associating from “winter”, thinks “summer”) New word: squash \*\* Poster B \*\* (thinks “pumpkin”) Squash - **pie** Missing link: summer? \*\* Poster C \*\* (thinks “cake”) Pie - **frosting** Missing link: pumpkin? \*\* Poster D \*\* (thinks “chocolate”) Frosting - **candy** Missing link: cake? As **Sternvogel** has suggested: > [@](#): > > there should be a rule that the progression is one that’s accessible to the general public. For example, “colour-faith”, would be acceptable, with “blind” serving as the bridge word. However, someone might think of The Color Purple and then his family’s old car, affectionately dubbed “The Purple Blaster”. “Colour-Blaster” would probably stump everybody else, though. So… shall we give it a try? I’ll offer a starter word: **Typos** ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2003, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-missing-link-word-association-game/209549/2 "2003-10-25T21:22:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by EddyTeddyFreddy \* > \*\ ***Typos** \*\* New word: **baseball** ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2003, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-missing-link-word-association-game/209549/3 "2003-10-25T22:51:02Z")
Missing link: Errors? _baseball_ - **stockings** ---
**Author:** ![peritrochoid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@peritrochoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peritrochoid)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2003, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-missing-link-word-association-game/209549/4 "2003-10-26T02:19:29Z")
Missing Link: _runs_? _stockings_ = **detectives** ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2003, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-missing-link-word-association-game/209549/5 "2003-10-26T02:46:32Z")
Missing Link: What the…??? Ummmm… All I can think of is “shoes” and that doesn’t get me to “detectives”. :dubious: Unless you thought of the same missing link I’m using in: _detectives_ - **rubbers** 😃 ---
**Author:** ![peritrochoid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@peritrochoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peritrochoid)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2003, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-missing-link-word-association-game/209549/6 "2003-10-26T03:00:55Z")
HA! 😃 Missing Link: _dick_, perhaps? _rubbers_ = paint fyi: stockings —\> _Silk Stalkings_ (an old USA Network detective show) —\> detectives … sorry, a bit obscure unless you were into trashy B-movie TV series 😛 ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2003, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-missing-link-word-association-game/209549/7 "2003-10-26T03:10:22Z")
Hmmmm… kinda skating on thin ice there with that link, buddy. 😉 Nope, my Missing Link was detectives - _gumshoes_ - rubbers. Missing link: Latex? _paint_ - **manure** (Gleefully anticipating the ML guesses) 😛 ---
**Author:** ![peritrochoid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@peritrochoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peritrochoid)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2003, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-missing-link-word-association-game/209549/8 "2003-10-26T03:21:18Z")
latex was it. And I’ll swear, my ML guess was completely innocent. 😛 private detectives are called private _dicks_ all the time. Honest. (yeah, she’ll believe that) My mind is never, ever, ever in the gutter. (Just dont ask the gang in the OMFG thread.) 😃 ML: horse? (a painting of a horse, not painting a horse) _manure_ = **puck** ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2003, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-missing-link-word-association-game/209549/9 "2003-10-26T03:30:53Z")
Horse it is – a Paint Horse, to be exact; it’s a breed, pretty much the same as the Quarter Horse, except for the wild splashes of white. Not to be confused with a pinto, say the purists. 😉 Missing Link: ball? fork? hockey? _puck_ - **rink** ---
**Author:** ![peritrochoid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@peritrochoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peritrochoid)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2003, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-missing-link-word-association-game/209549/10 "2003-10-26T03:39:44Z")
Not to be confused with a pinto, because Pintos explode on impact. No … wait … Ford didn’t make horses. Nevermind. 😃 hockey it was (horse manure = horse _hockey_). ML: skating? _rink_ = **glacier** ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2003, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-missing-link-word-association-game/209549/11 "2003-10-26T03:44:27Z")
Missing Link: ice? That in fact was my ML, although _skating_ tried to elbow it into the boards. _glacier_ - **Swiss** ---
**Author:** ![peritrochoid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@peritrochoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peritrochoid)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2003, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-missing-link-word-association-game/209549/12 "2003-10-26T03:56:47Z")
ML: Alps? _Swiss_ = **cavities** ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2003, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-missing-link-word-association-game/209549/13 "2003-10-26T04:05:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by EddyTeddyFreddy \* > \*\*_glacier_ - **Swiss** \*\* ML: **Alps**? Your _typos_-errors-_baseball_ guess was correct. On preview, I see **peritrochoid** has echoed my guess, so I’ll say **holes** is the ML between _Swiss_ and _cavities_. **cavities** - ? - **cream** ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2003, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-missing-link-word-association-game/209549/14 "2003-10-26T04:06:04Z")
Right you are! ML: cheese? _cavities_\* - **drill** That’s really too easy, but I’m playing fair and posting my first thoughts. ---
**Author:** ![peritrochoid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@peritrochoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peritrochoid)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2003, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-missing-link-word-association-game/209549/15 "2003-10-26T04:14:21Z")
ehh … the ML was chocolate, actually. Oooh, that divine Swiss chocolate. ML between _cavities_ and _drill_: dentist? _drill_ = **motor** ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2003, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-missing-link-word-association-game/209549/16 "2003-10-26T04:19:28Z")
ML: drill - **electric** - motor? ``` motor - ? - fad ``` As a bonus, my “cavities - ? - cream” is still in play. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2003, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-missing-link-word-association-game/209549/17 "2003-10-26T04:25:27Z")
**peritrochoid** - okay, _chocolate_ works very well too. Your guess at my ML is correct. My guess at your ML is _electric_. **Sternvogel** - well, I’m gobsmacked – can’t see how you got from _cavities_ to _cream_. AH! Might the **Sternvogel** ML be _fillings_? Okay, on preview I see that **Sternvogel** also guessed **peritrochoid’s** ML as _electric_. I’ll guess the ML between _motor_ and _fad_ is “sports”? _fad_ -?- **style** _cream_ -?- **cake** ---
**Author:** ![peritrochoid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@peritrochoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peritrochoid)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2003, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-missing-link-word-association-game/209549/18 "2003-10-26T05:09:27Z")
Actually, _electric_ works as nicely as my originally intended _oil_ does for the drill-to-motor ML. And, **Sternvogel** , I’m with **EddyTeddyFreddy** on the _fillings_. Or perhaps a play on words with _“hole”_ (whole) _cream_? **ETF** ’s MLs: I’m guessing _fashion_ for fad-to-style, and _cheese_ for cream-to-cake. Am I close? _style_ —\> **cathedral** _cake_ —\> **bean** ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2003, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-missing-link-word-association-game/209549/19 "2003-10-26T05:17:53Z")
ML spot on for both _fashion_ and _cheese_. Hmmmm… style - _Gothic_ - cathedral? cake - _baked_ - bean? _cathedral_ -?- **flying** **bean** -?- **Welles** ---
**Author:** ![peritrochoid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@peritrochoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peritrochoid)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2003, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-missing-link-word-association-game/209549/20 "2003-10-26T05:41:02Z")
Nailed the _Gothic_ ML, but _coffee_ was the cake-to-bean ML. Though _baked_ works too. I say _buttress(es)_ is the ML for cathedral -?- flying … (our history and theory classes make sure that is the ONLY link we architects can make there ;)) Hmm … bean -?- Welles … _Orson_, perhaps? (Yes, my close friend, Google, helped me with that ML. Sorry) _flying_ —\> **license** _Welles_ —\> **reel** [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-missing-link-word-association-game/209549.md?page=2)