also known as Are the swords crossed?
Another foolish party game that can be used to baffle and bamboozle your closest pals.
You will need:
two swords, or a pair of scissors
at least two people who are in on the secret
a group of slightly drunk or easily confused friends
Sit in the circle, and start with someone who knows the secret of the game. That person needs to take the swords or scissors and lay them on the floor in any manner they please: side by side, on top of each other, at right angles, one on top of the other. They should use as much over-acting as they feel to be amusing: examining the swords in great detail first, making great flourishes or swirls in the air with them, rearranging them when placing them down, crossing and uncrossing their arms. They must then declare 'crossed' or 'uncrossed' in a decisive manner.
The person to the left must take the swords, and attempt to work out what they are supposed to do, and repeat this. Ending with a declaration of 'crossed' or 'uncrossed', they will almost certainly be told that they have done this incorrectly. The next person to the left must then attempt to get it right.
The game continues until each person has worked out the secret. There is a huge amount of cruel pleasure in taunting the last person to figure things out.
The secret
The crossed or uncrossed has nothing whatsoever to do with the position of the swords, arms, or the way that the swords are passed around. It refers to whether the person's legs or arms are crossed or uncrossed when they place the swords on the floor.