Transport words for Alias — cars, trains, planes

Steering wheel, platform, clutch and runway. Everything that drives, flies and sails — and where it stops.

A set about transport: cars and trains, planes and ships, roads, stations, spare parts, rules and everything that happens between turning the key and arriving. From the pedal to the fuselage. This is not a set about travel: there are no hotels or suitcases here, but there is a carburettor and a signalman.

Who this set is for

Everyone who has taken a bus clears the first level. Then come clutch, sleeper and level crossing — words for people who drive, or take the train every day. The third level is for those who have changed spark plugs themselves, know what an aileron is, or have at least once heard the word cabotage.

Who this set is for

A group with at least one driver: half the middle level revolves around the car. Children who love everything that moves — the easy level is a feast for them. Railway workers, pilots and sailors, on the contrary, take care: they know the third level too well and explain it in terms the room has never heard.

Clutch

Works: “the left pedal you let go slowly, or the car stalls.” Through what the foot does. Does not work: “a mechanism that transfers rotation from the engine” — the room says gearbox, gear, engine and gets lost in the mechanics.

Platform

Works: “where you stand with your bag, looking which way the train will come from.” A scene at the station leads to the word fast. Does not work: “a raised area for boarding” — boarding is too close to the answer, and the explainer has nearly said it.

Turbulence

Works: “when the plane shakes and everyone grabs the armrests.” Through what the body feels. Does not work: “an unstable flow of air” — sounds like a textbook, the room starts with wind, air pocket and arrives late.

Where groups go wrong

The first trap is explaining a part through other parts: “it is next to the gearbox” only a mechanic understands. Come in through what the driver does with it or what the passenger feels. The second is vehicles by size and wheels: “big, with wheels, carries people” fits a bus, a trolleybus and a coach alike, while the difference is in wires, route and who sells the tickets. The third is explaining station, platform, ticket office and waiting room through each other: they are neighbours, and the explainer blurts out a forbidden one. Separate them by action: you wait, you buy, you stand with your bag.

Explain parts through the driver's hand or foot: "the left pedal you let go slowly" is the clutch.
Tell vehicles apart by wires, rails and route, not by size.
Separate station words by action: you wait, you buy, you stand with your bag and watch the board.

Easy

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

car, bus, trolleybus, tram, train, metro, taxi, lorry, truck, motorbike, bicycle, scooter, plane, helicopter, rocket, ship, boat, ferry, yacht, submarine, balloon, road, highway, motorway, bridge, tunnel, turn, crossroads, stoplight, sign, zebra, pavement, verge, wheel, tyre, pedal, brake, accelerator, engine, motor, petrol, station, tank, boot, bonnet, headlight, mirror, seat, seatbelt, door, window, horn, siren, beacon, driver, passenger, pilot, captain, conductor, inspector, ticket, fare, stop, terminal, airport, port, pier, flight, route, timetable, delay, jam, accident, repair, garage, parking, speed, licence, plate, tractor, combine, trailer, ambulance, fire-engine, tow-truck, dustcart, carriage, cart, sledge, horse, camel, airship, parachute, canoe, raft, kayak, skateboard, skates, wheelchair, pram

Medium

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

clutch, gearbox, gear, automatic, manual, lever, handbrake, speedometer, tachometer, odometer, mileage, sensor, battery, alternator, starter, spark-plug, radiator, silencer, exhaust, shock, suspension, spring, rim, tread, spare, jack, winch, body, bumper, wing, windscreen, wipers, washer, headlights, sidelights, indicator, gridlock, charging, hybrid, diesel, oil, antifreeze, inspection, insurance, fine, patrol, radar, overtaking, u-turn, lane, markings, barrier, crossing, flyover, junction, roundabout, bypass, descent, hairpin, sleeper, compartment, coach, locomotive, commuter, attendant, engineer, platform, track, rail, points, signal, depot, siding, transfer, vestibule, berth, board, boarding, departure, arrival, gate, check-in, baggage, airstairs, stewardess, turbulence, undercarriage, cockpit, porthole, anchor, deck, hold, cabin, mast, sail, oar, lock, tug, pilotage, bosun

Hard

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

carburettor, injector, turbine, compressor, piston, cylinder, crankshaft, camshaft, valve, timing, chain, sprocket, cogwheel, differential, driveshaft, halfshaft, hub, bearing, joint, steering, rack, servo, mounting, welding, undercoat, tinting, soundproofing, autopilot, cruise, telematics, tachograph, logistics, forwarder, semitrailer, reefer, road-train, container-ship, tanker, bulker, freighter, lighter, barge, icebreaker, frigate, catamaran, trimaran, waterline, draught, ballast, keel, bow, stern, rudder, tiller, helm, propeller, cabotage, fairway, roadstead, mooring, fender, fuselage, aileron, flap, stabiliser, glider, aerodynamics, subsonic, supersonic, dispatcher, aerodrome, hangar, autogyro, tiltrotor, hydrofoil, hovercraft, funicular, monorail, maglev, handcar, railcar, signalman, signal-box, catenary, pantograph, traction, interlocking, motorman, rickshaw, pedicab, moped, quad-bike, snowmobile, jet-ski, amphibian, gondola, cable-car, chairlift, zeppelin, caravan