Family words for Alias — relatives, weddings, love

Grandma, the in-laws, a wedding and Sunday dinner. Words about the people closest to you.

A set about the people nearest to you: relatives and friends, everyday life at home, love, weddings and family celebrations. From a lullaby to a last will. No celebrity couples — the group plays about its own people, not other people’s.

Who this set is for

The first level is known to anyone who has sat at a holiday table. Then come stepmother, godfather and housewarming — words everyone has heard, but few can explain without saying mother or father. The hard level — dowry, kinship, matriarchy — splits the room into those who know and those who always meant to ask.

Who this set is for

A family gathering with children, parents and grandparents at one table. Kids take pram and sleepover, adults take mortgage and compromise, and the older generation finally wins on dowry. It works at a wedding, an anniversary or simply on a Sunday when everyone has eaten too much.

Stepmother

Works: “the woman who joins the family when dad marries again — fairy tales always give her a bad name.” A familiar story beats a family tree. Does not work: “your father’s new wife” — correct, but mother sits inside the word, so the clue is close to illegal and the room expects a different trick.

Ring

Works: “the thing you slide onto each other’s finger right after saying yes.” A wedding scene everyone has seen. Does not work: “a piece of jewellery” — the room goes through necklace, earrings and bracelet before it ever reaches the finger.

Jealousy

Works: “when your girlfriend laughs at someone else’s joke and you hate it.” A concrete scene instead of the name of a feeling. Does not work: “a negative emotion in a relationship” — grudge, quarrel and anger all fit, and the room will name every one of them.

Where groups go wrong

The first trap is explaining relatives as a diagram: “my mum’s husband’s sister” makes the room draw a tree in their heads, and the clock runs out while they draw. Go through a situation instead: who turns up at Christmas, who argues with whom. The second is using people at the table: “like Anna and Mark” only works for those who know Anna and Mark. The third is feelings. Trust, grudge and loyalty invite a synonym, but the synonyms are close and often share a root, while one scene from life gives the word at once.

Explain relatives through a situation, not a diagram: who sits next to whom at the wedding, who buys whose presents.
Show feelings as a scene: "when your girlfriend laughs at someone else’s joke" is jealousy.
Do not explain through players at the table: "like you and me" makes sense to two people, not the whole team.

Easy

Familiar words that land on the first clue. For warming up, for kids and for mixed groups.

mum, dad, parents, son, daughter, brother, sister, grandma, grandpa, grandson, granddaughter, aunt, uncle, cousin, nephew, niece, family, baby, twin, toddler, home, house, kitchen, bedroom, dinner, breakfast, lunch, table, sofa, bed, pillow, blanket, photo, album, holiday, birthday, cake, candle, present, card, wedding, bride, groom, ring, veil, bouquet, kiss, hug, love, friendship, friend, neighbour, guest, pram, toy, bedtime, lullaby, nappy, dummy, dog, cat, pet, walk, picnic, garden, swing, argument, tears, laughter, smile, joke, secret, chores, dishes, key, door, pie, weekend, Sunday, cartoon, heart, date, couple, name, husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, sleepover, playground, teddy, backyard, barbecue, cuddle, roast, grandparents, homework, porch, nap, piggyback

Medium

Takes a few sentences and some imagination. The default setting for an ordinary evening.

stepmother, stepfather, stepson, stepdaughter, godmother, godfather, godchild, ancestor, descendant, heir, inheritance, tradition, custom, engagement, proposal, bridesmaid, groomsman, toast, reception, photographer, anniversary, christening, housewarming, renovation, landlord, mortgage, household, homemaker, responsibility, care, upbringing, punishment, praise, trust, jealousy, grudge, reconciliation, apology, compromise, divorce, marriage, spouse, sweetheart, compliment, serenade, valentine, romance, flirt, crush, honeymoon, nanny, babysitter, nursery, teenager, generation, orphan, guardian, adoption, fireplace, gathering, feast, hospitality, party, surprise, cradle, surname, classmate, buddy, bachelor, vow, loyalty, allowance, curfew, sibling, relative, reunion, widow, highchair, tantrum, lunchbox, roommate, bestie, acquaintance, matchmaker, newlywed, playdate, quarrel, chaperone, nickname, wedlock, homesick, ancestry, firstborn, overprotective, grounded, visit, elope, betrayal, eldest, housework

Hard

Rare or abstract words. More failed rounds, and more laughing at them.

genealogy, dynasty, patriarchy, matriarchy, testament, alimony, custody, separation, empathy, attachment, devotion, idyll, harmony, mediator, therapist, counselling, nostalgia, heirloom, dowry, nepotism, kinship, lineage, pedigree, misalliance, matrimony, betrothal, bachelorette, elder, successor, familiarity, henpecked, breadwinner, wellbeing, budget, thrift, clan, estrangement, loneliness, independence, adolescence, authority, discipline, leniency, indulgence, ultimatum, ritual, keepsake, memento, bloodline, progeny, offspring, foster, godparent, surrogate, kinfolk, courtship, prenup, monogamy, cohabitation, spinster, widower, patronymic, maternity, paternity, parenthood, childhood, adulthood, forgiveness, sympathy, closeness, companionship, fidelity, infidelity, commitment, solidarity, matchmaking, intimacy, sacrifice, kindred, forebear, posterity, legacy, nurture, hearth, domesticity, rivalry, homecoming, benediction, blessing, dependence, tenderness, ancestral, protectiveness, affinity, guardianship, emancipation, filial, conjugal, nuptials, trousseau