B

B is for Balderdash.

When I was really young, my family and I would sit around and play "The Dictionary Game." We would pass around this giant blue dictionary that came with our encyclopedia set and pick a word. You read the word out loud and each person has to write down a definition. As the "word picker," you write down the actual definition. All definitions are read out loud and all players vote on which definition they think is the correct one. (You may think that was dorky, but my parents are 5 for 5 on children with college degrees, so perhaps it worked!)

As we grew older, a game company created this into a board game: "Balderdash." (For the record, our favorite version is actually "Beyond Balderdash.")

They went through and found all the best words. It has become somewhat of a family tradition to play it anytime the family is gathered. Each time, I am amazed at the creativity and intelligence of all the players. It is difficult to choose the correct answer. The game deliberately uses obscure words... one of the most memorable from one of our game sessions is the word "shittah."

Now, you can be a party pooper and look it up, or you can pretend you're playing Balderdash.

Is the definition of "shittah":

- fibrous innards of bamboo plant
- part of large weaving loom
- knotted Arabic tree
- fancy British toilet (I'm pretty sure somebody gave an answer like that)
- the thorax of a bumblebee





If you guessed a knotted Arabic tree, you are correct.