Chinese whispers
(chiefly, UK, games) A game for several players in which a phrase, whispered by each person in turn to their neighbour, is often unwittingly misunderstood as it is transferred, to humorous effect by t
Definitions
(chiefly, UK, games) A game for several players in which a phrase, whispered by each person in turn to their neighbour, is often unwittingly misunderstood as it is transferred, to humorous effect by the time it reaches the last person and is compared with the original phrase.
Some members made it clear that they were not going to participate at all, because it was the last Bullring, and brought in books to read or played games like ‘Chinese Whispers’, totally ignoring any remarks that were made.
“🎶 #nowplaying The Alan Parsons Project - Chinese Whispers (instrumental) 📻 Listen at https://oakgroveradio.com/player #lpfm #localradio #communityradio #kansas”
— Bluesky· May 2026
Comments
(figurative) A situation where something is changed or misunderstood as a result of passing through successive people or processes.
This is no doubt the reason why children play Chinese Whispers. One child whispers a message to another and it travels around the circle of children, only to be revealed by the last member of the chain.
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🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang
UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
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