Many games require the players to perform a forfeit. In drinking games the forfeit is... to have a drink. In strip poker (or any of the other take-your-clothes-off games) you remove an item of clothing. In other games, it is less obvious what the forfeit should be. Forfeits make games more interesting and can be moulded to suit the audience in order that children and adults can play the same game with silly forfeits which will hopefully ensure a good time for all. They can also replace gambling so money does not need to change hands and the game still remains interesting. This Entry will allow people who are devising games with forfeits to have a list of clever tricks to choose from.

The Origins of Forfeit

Etymonline states that the word 'forfeit' originates from the Old French word forfait¹, which means 'crime.' It was originally the past participle of forfaire, which means 'transgress'². This evolved from the Medieval Latin³ word foris factum. The sense of the word 'forfeit' shifted around 1450 from meaning 'the crime' to meaning 'the penalty.'

Some Example Forfeits

Musical

Musical forfeits may be done with extra provisos such as without smiling or while standing on one leg.

Sing or whistle:

• The National Anthem
• Happy Birthday
• Humpty Dumpty
• Baa-baa Black Sheep
• Mary had a Little Lamb
• (We all live in a) Yellow Submarine
• Eat three crackers - without having a drink - then whistle a song, which others have to recognise

Dancing

• Do the Twist
• Belly Dance
• Limbo under a bar

Speaking

• Recite a poem of your choice
• Recite a limerick
• Say the days of the week backwards
• Say the months of the year backwards

Acting

• Do an impersonation of John Cleese being Basil Fawlty
• Do an impersonation of Mel Gibson being William Wallace
• Act like a chimpanzee
• Act like a chicken
• Act like a snake
• Act like a cockerel

Quiz or list

Answer some preset questions such as:

• Name the Spice Girls⁴
• Name the seven dwarfs from Snow White⁵
• Name the planets of the Solar System⁶
• Name ten things you would find in the kitchen
• Name ten things you would find in the bathroom
• Name ten parts of the human body with only three letters⁷
• Name ten things you can stroke in public.

Dares

• Shake hands with everyone
• Kiss a bald man on the head
• Kiss someone wearing glasses
• Wear a false moustache and wig for the rest of the game
• Wear a silly hat for the rest of the game

Clothing

• Remove an item of red clothing
• Swap socks with the person on your left

Miscellaneous

• Describe a spiral staircase without using your hands

Other Party Ideas

For more party ideas, here are a few Guide Entries to get you started:

• Great Party Games
• Children's Party Games
• Improvisational Games
• Identity Games

Related BBC Links

• Exercise your brain with more puzzles and mind-benders from BBC Games.

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¹ c.1300.
² From fors - 'outside, beyond' and faire - 'do.'
³ Latin as written and spoken c.700 - 1500.
⁴ Victoria (Posh), Melanie B (Sporty), Melanie C (Scary), Emma (Baby) and Geri (Ginger).
⁵ Dopey, Sleepy, Grumpy, Happy, Sneezy, Bashful and Doc.
⁶ From the Sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto.
⁷ Ear, eye, jaw, gum, lip, rib, toe, arm, leg, hip.