Money words for Alias — shop, bank, payday

From the shop till to the stock exchange: prices, discounts, banks and payday. For a group that haggles.

A set about everything money touches: the shop and the market, the bank and the card, wages and debts, and further on loans, currencies, the stock exchange and the budget. The first level is a trip out for bread, the third is a talk with an accountant.

Who this set is for

Money touches everyone, so the easy level works in any group: discount, wallet and change take a second to explain. The medium and hard levels already need someone in the room who pays a mortgage or follows the news about exchange rates.

Who this set is for

An adult group that does its own shopping and pays its own rent. Students play the easy level brilliantly, but deposit, instalment or liquidity are hard to explain without having lived through them. It works well among colleagues — there, words like advance and bonus are known to everyone.

Change

Works: “you hand over a twenty for a coffee and get a few coins back.” An everyday scene everyone has seen a thousand times. Does not work: “the difference between the amount paid and the price” — it sounds like a textbook, and the room will say refund, discount and overpayment first.

Mortgage

Works: “you borrow from the bank to buy a flat and pay it back for twenty-five years.” The term and the goal give the word at once. Does not work: “a loan secured on property” — accurate, but the room gets stuck on loan and security and never moves on to the word you want.

Inflation

Works: “last year a loaf cost one pound, now it costs one fifty.” An example with a price tag instead of economic theory. Does not work: “money losing its value” — the room rushes to devaluation and exchange rate, and the word stays unguessed.

Where groups go wrong

The first trap is explaining money words with other money words: loan through credit, deposit through savings. The room hears a synonym and calls out the synonym. Come in through a situation from life: who pays whom, for what and when. The second trap is numbers: players hunt for an exact sum and freeze, when a lot or pennies would do. The third is jobs: “a person who works with money” is a cashier, a banker and an accountant all at once. Say what exactly this person does at the desk.

Explain through a situation: who pays whom and for what — and the word turns up on its own.
Do not hide behind synonyms: loan through credit fails, “money from the bank for a car” works.
For jobs, describe one concrete action: “rings up your shopping” is a cashier, “does the firm’s taxes” is an accountant.

Easy

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

money, coin, banknote, wallet, purse, price, shop, till, cashier, receipt, shopping, seller, customer, market, stall, counter, goods, basket, trolley, bag, discount, sale, present, bank, cashpoint, card, account, debt, salary, pension, allowance, moneybox, treasure, gold, silver, rich, poor, penny, pound, dollar, euro, change, payment, bill, loan, tax, budget, income, profit, business, company, job, wages, tip, bonus, fine, lottery, prize, bet, bargain, cheap, expensive, free, shelf, label, queue, bread, milk, sweets, toy, clothes, chemist, kiosk, fair, supermarket, mall, trader, merchant, stingy, generous, million, millionaire, rent, payday, safe, cash, checkout, refund, deal, spend, buy, sell, pay, borrow, lend, save, shopkeeper, bakery, butcher, jackpot

Medium

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

currency, exchange, inflation, deposit, interest, mortgage, instalment, creditor, debtor, banker, accountant, economist, investor, investment, bond, shares, stockbroker, dividend, capital, startup, insurance, transfer, invoice, treasury, pawnshop, auction, wholesale, retail, warehouse, supplier, delivery, courier, order, advance, commission, fee, subscription, voucher, coupon, cashback, loyalty, brand, advert, packaging, barcode, terminal, consumer, demand, supply, shortage, surplus, monopoly, competition, competitor, middleman, smuggling, counterfeit, forgery, bribe, customs, duty, tenant, landlord, owner, inheritance, will, charity, donation, beggar, poverty, luxury, splurge, miser, bankrupt, savings, fund, grant, subsidy, overtime, raise, payslip, expenses, haggle, bid, cheque, chequebook, contactless, wholesaler, bulk, thrift, debit, credit, rebate, overdue, outlet, boutique, vendor, pedlar, inventory, taxman

Hard

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

liquidity, depreciation, devaluation, deflation, recession, stagnation, default, volatility, diversification, portfolio, asset, liability, audit, ledger, bookkeeping, taxation, remittance, refinancing, restructuring, annuity, overdraft, barter, factoring, leasing, franchise, royalty, derivative, hedging, arbitrage, speculation, margin, markup, solvency, profitability, liquidation, collateral, denomination, monetisation, capitalisation, index, quota, embargo, sanctions, privatisation, nationalisation, oligopoly, cartel, dumping, rebranding, merchandiser, logistics, distributor, deduction, accrual, indexation, compensation, sponsor, crowdfunding, exchequer, deficit, expenditure, revenue, fraudster, fraud, pyramid, financier, underwriter, notary, heir, cryptocurrency, blockchain, numismatist, bullion, austerity, bailout, embezzlement, usury, tariff, levy, tithe, amortisation, yield, equity, shareholder, takeover, merger, procurement, tender, remuneration, severance, gratuity, reimbursement, kickback, laundering, offshore, loophole, valuation, creditworthiness, escrow, alimony