The Minister's Cat

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The Minister's Cat is a Victorian parlour game. The game involves describing the eponymous cat using adjectives beginning with each letter of the alphabet. [1]

Contents

Gameplay

There are different variations of this game.

In the basic game, all players sit in a circle, and the first player describes the minister's cat with an adjective beginning with the letter 'A' (for example, "The minister's cat is an admirable cat"). Each player then does the same, using different adjectives starting with the same letter. Once everyone has done so, the first player describes the cat with an adjective beginning with the letter 'B'. This continues for each letter of the alphabet.

In all variations, a player is "out" of the game if they are unable to think of an adjective, or if they repeat one previously used (or can't remember the adjectives which have gone before, in the last variant). Players may clap in unison or speak in a rhythmic manner during the game, setting the pace for each player to speak their line; if a player falls too far behind the pace while thinking of an adjective, they may also be declared "out."

Variations

On the second and succeeding rounds an alternate sentence can be used: "Mother's tea service was brittle," or, "Mother's tea service was broken."

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References

  1. Scher, Anna; Verrall, Charles (1975). 100 + Ideas for Drama. Heinemann. p. 38. ISBN   978-0-435-18799-6.