ever wonder why?
we're not just happy, we're happy as a clam?
we call something jumbo, instead of just big?
we don't just talk, we chew the fat?

It’s hilariously funny, it’s extraordinarily fascinating, it’s orijinz™, the brand new original word and phrase card game. It’s a snap to learn: one player reads the origin and the others try to guess the word or phrase. You’ll enjoy the guesses as much as the origins themselves!

You don’t need to be a word nerd to play and have a blast. orijinz is great fun with friends or family! Quiz each other on car trips, during dinner, at the kitchen counter or have a game night! Play with your co-workers or put a game or two in your lunch room or waiting room at work.  So have a ball with the game that is a cut above and the pick of the litter – orijinz!

More info on orijinz
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© 2007 Entspire LLC  All rights reserved.  All Entspire and orijinz designs are protected by copyright

  • 150 cards for hours of fun!
  • 15 minutes or so to play one game
  • 13 and older is best
  • 2 or more players
Actual card size is 2.5" x 3.5"
Julie from Laguna Beach, CA says: We haven't put this game down since Christmas - now I feel like an idiot that I didn't order one for everyone I know! Great, great, GREAT word game!

Lazulilu from Chicago, IL says: Best game for thinking adults in a long time. We had a great time playing Christmas Day. Hoping for more versions.

Dave from Seattle, WA says: The family has pulled out the cards two nights in a row now. It is great fun . . . and good learning too. Emmy, my 11 year old daughter, reads the cards while my wife and I face-off to come up with the answer. The vocabulary is great for Emmy -- she can read the cards fairly well, but there are some new and challenging words for her sprinkled throughout the origins. It's a great opportunity for us to help her expand her vocabulary. Here's the funny piece my daughter has added to the game . . . if my wife and I are completely stumped, my daughter breaks into charades and acts out the answer. It's had us in stitches. e.g. "coconut". I love the simplicity of the game. And yet it's challenging. It's all about great content. You've done an amazing job here. It's not too trivial and mundane, and yet not too simplistic and obvious. You feel smart when getting it right, but when you can't figure it out, it still has that great "aha, of course" quality when hearing the answer.

David M. from Nashville, TN says: I gave orijinz as a Christmas gift, and last night we had a small group over so she decided to break the game open and give it a try. We had a blast! There were 8 of us. It was great fun to see people warm up to the game as they got comfortable with the format. And I could never predict which of us would get the next word or phrase. We only went thru around one third of the deck so we'd be able to do it again soon. But I know we'll be ready for the new version by the time it comes out. Great idea!

Jane K. from England says: I have learned about the ancient art of bat fowling - it was worth buying the game for the hysterical laughter caused by that alone.

Deetra from Greensboro, NC says: I love this game! I got it for my family for Christmas and we can't stop playing. We highly recommend it!

Lee S. from Santa Barbara, CA says: I gave the games as gifts to friends who love words. they have played and laughed and learned and shared the game with me. how fortunate we are. thanks for such a pleasure.

Mari from Hawaii says: Sent ORIJINZ to all my friends and family this holiday. A well priced, interesting and fun gift. Great service so all were delivered on time. To my surprise I received so many "thank you" notes and calls, ORIJINZ was appreciated!!

Laura from Georgia says: My daughter and I loved the Orijinz cards; we just wish there were a lot more of them!

Catalina from Melbourne Australia says: Great fun! We've been having a ball playing the game over the summer holidays here with family and friends - everyone loves it. Hope to see more versions in the future!

María Ema Mira from Montevideo, Uruguay, South America says: CONGRATULATIONS!! Great game! A definitely fun way of learning! I´m an English teacher and teacher trainer so...guess what! my colleagues, students and I are interested in English words and phrases!! :-) Playing games is a great way of learning! what you learn through games is way easier to remember. I regret having missed DERIVATION, I heard it´s also great fun !! We want a new edition, please!!

Paul S. from New Zealand says: Great game, easy to learn how to play, fun and informative!

Christina from Branford, CT says: I just love this game - it's interesting for the novice as well as the well read individual!

Wendy B from Tampa, FL says: We love orijinz! It was the hit of our dinner party - even the kids were gathered around the grown-ups trying to get in on the fun! It's fast, fun, and so interesting. It will definitely be a stocking stuffer for friends and family this holiday season.

Bonnie B from Sebastopol, California says: I purchased orijinz to play for our Thanksgiving to keep the wolves of displeasure at bay. It worked like a charm, to use a cliche. No one argued about old hurts, nor commented on the meal being anything but wonderful. All the kids played right along with the adults. It lasted for hours. Thanks for joining our Thanksgiving, both literally and figuratively.

Vicki from Putnam, CT says: We played our first game at a dinner party with college professors, a retired librarian, a retired journalist, and a music teacher. A wonderful time was had by all. I've given two more games as gifts for the children of friends, and I can't wait to get feedback after the holidays! PS, I needed these in a rush, and the customer service was outstanding! Thank you!

Kathi H from Baltimore, MD says: We played orijinz on a road trip one weekend and had a blast. It was a game even the driver could play. We laughed and debated while we called out our guesses. And best of all it was lots of fun for 6 old codgers-we are all between the ages of 60 and 64.

Carol A. from New Mexico says: When I first saw the game, I thought it would be easy. Not so. You only think you know what the orijinz of words are. Great fun! Thanks for such an ingenious game.

Leslie H. from Arizona says: One made a great gift, the other was a wonderful stocking stuffer. Hours of fun over the kitchen sink guessing words from their origins. Love it!

J.G. from Baltimore says: By coincidence I read the ad for orijinz on Dictionary.com the night before an appointment with my GI doctor. With obvious pleasure in language, he happened to mention the term "borborygmi" which subsequently launched a pleasant discussion of language. Sight unseen I went home and ordered two sets of the game. Before I had even unwrapped one box, I ordered two more, then two more... Eventually I actually un-wrapped a pack and played orijinz with friends, and was delighted. Nerd heaven!

Frank from North Carolina says: The orijinz game is great ... glad I found it

Katie from Tucson, AZ says: So much fun! I busted this game out during various situations this holiday season from family dinners to late night parties and I was pleasantly surprised by how much everyone genuinely enjoyed it. Thanks for making this nerd the life of the party!

Hal from Virginia says: This game was a big hit at our family holiday party. Even the kids found it interesting. Cannot wait for the second edition.

Michele & Brian from Connecticut say: Loved the game, we played it Christmas eve with our grown children. We are always trying to improve their vocabulary, and this was a sneaky way to do it because we all had fun, and learned something new at the same time.

Carol Lee from New York Thursday says: Loved the origins.......

Jen from Washington State says: We really love this game! The first time we played was during a long car trip and the whole family got into it. Because my youngest daughter is not familiar with many of the words yet, we took out the competitive element and just opened the floor for participation. She had a lot of fun guessing. My 7th grader didn't realize how interesting it is to learn the history of words and phrases and has asked to play the game again more than any other we've explored recently. I believe it is a fantastic tool for building vocabulary paired with an intrinsic interest in the origins of human language. We already want another edition!

Janene from Colorado says: I gave three orijinz games for Christmas and they were heartily received. What a fun way to learn why we say what we say - the kids love it, too!

Leslie A. from Valencia, CA says: I ordered three games as gifts. My brothers both greatly enjoyed playing. My daughter who is majoring in linguistics at UC Santa Cruz plans to share the fun with her classmates. I have a feeling they will run through the cards very quickly, and might have to put their game sessions on a 3 month schedule to give everybody time to forget some of the answers. It is a fun game and everyone will want to play over and over. I have to say, even in a week, I had forgotten some of the more involved questions. Thanks for marketing this.

Helen from North Carolina says: Great game! Can be played on the fly with nothing but the cards. Fun and educational for all ages and can be adapted to allow an intergenerational group to enjoy and laugh together.

Karen from Portland, OR says: I bought this game for my parents for Christmas and it turned out to be a lot of fun for all of us. We sat down to play a few cards and ended going 5 or 6 rounds. It's also extremely interesting and good for different kinds of thinkers.

Eligia N from Lakewood, OH says: Lots of fun, we play it on road trips.

Nancy from Arlington, Texas says: I love word games, so knew I'd enjoy this one - but was surprised how much fun my kids (ages 12 and 16) had playing it! Once we get started, they keep asking for "one more"!

Mike from Colorado says: Our family loves board games. orijinz is not only a fun board game but a stimulating learning opportunity to impove our understanding of the English language. Thanks!

Jeff W from Arlington, VA says: This is a fun game! Well-researched, intelligent, and challenging, all while being played at a relaxed pace. No buzzers or dice.

Pamela R. from New Jersey says: I'm a bit of a word geek who likes the social aspects of board games, etc. Over the holidays, one evening when we (my husband, parents, sister, brother in-law, and I) were feeling particularly sated, we sat around with Originz and had a blast ruminating---and learning!

Nancy K. from St. Paul, Minnesota says: We have used orijinz at a New Year's Eve party, and as a conversation piece with family and friends. Love it!

Melanie from Pensacola, FL says: This game was a huge hit for my colleagues at work! We can't wait for the second edition of the game.

Norman G. from Fish Hoek, Cape Town, South Africa says: orijinz proved an ideal means of digesting the turkey and sobering up from the champagne of Christmas lunch. Thank you.

Pam S. from Bailey, Colorado says: I bought orijinz as a Christmas gift for my Dad. He loved it, as did the whole family. Couldn't put it down until Mom called "suppertime!"

Mary H. from Wichita, Kansas says: It's a really fun game. I've always wanted to take a class in word origins and this is wonderful. Thanks so much for the fun and education.

Rob from Michigan says: This is a great game. Lot's of fun, but also a learning experience.

James K from Terre Haute, Indiana says: Great game -- lots of fun and insidiously educational.

Jill B. from New Jersey says: My children's grandmother loves to play word games to keep her brain active. My husband is Dutch and betters his English by playing. We bought two sets. Great fun just to read the cards.

Teresa H. from Wendell, NC says: Great game we played with our kids and their friends all during the Christmas Holiday. We are already through the whole deck! We've started making up our own origins for phrases.

Kate from Ontario, Canada says: I ordered orijinz for Christmas after being reminded of it on AWAD. The cast and crew of the theatre where I often work played between scenes and after shows last year, and I couldn't wait to get my own game. So far we've played in the car, while making dinner, with friends, with just us...it's great fun. And I really like that our young children listen in and try to play along. Their guesses are the best, and we're all learning! Am excited about a next set of cards!

Doc K. from Tampa, FL says: Fun game to play with the whole family and learn at the same time.

Mark B. from Buffalo, NY says: orijinz is a very original (and informative) concept for a game. Too bad I missed out on the first game.

Jim B. from Zionsville, IN says: Great way to have the family share in a game and turn off the TV. Thanks for a great time!

Niamh from Ireland says: Fun game to learn the origin of words and phrases!

Gregory from the US says: Who said learning can't be fun? This game is infectious, and should definitely be avoided by those who love watching the mindless clap-trap on TV!

Shelley from Colville, Washington says: We played this game over Christmas vacation. Everyone in the family enjoyed it! We can play it at the dinner table while eating, in the car while traveling, or just in the evening for fun. Can't wait for the next edition! We will know all the answers to this one soon.

Patricia from Tucson, Arizona says: I purchased two games for gifts. They loved! It's great to be able to send a gift which many can enjoy.

Theresa from New Hampshire says: Every Christmas I look for a new word game that the family can all play together. This year it was orijinz. We had a lot of fun and were amazed at how many word origins we didn't know. I hope you can come up with another deck soon!

Anne from Sante Fe, NM says: Fun and thought-provoking! Not only entertaining to try to guess and to learn the origins of the phrases we use all the time, but also stimulates conversation about either the history or other related phrases.

A. Carey from Waterford, MI says: This is a really fun game; we can't stop playing!

Kathy and Jerry from Worcester, MA say: We love playing orijinz! I bought one deck for us and one as a gift and look forward to passing it on. We generally have a tough time guessing the word, which we consider fun ... but once the clue or hint comes up, then we get most of them. Really enjoy finding out the mysterious origins of words and phrases we use all the time - for example, I now know what I am eating when I eat "humble pie" - ! Very fun. We look forward being able to obtain refills for our deck - which we hope will soon be in the works! - since once we've played through the deck, of course, we now know all the answers. Let's hear it for orijinz Deck 2!

Sylvia B from Lancaster, PA says: Enjoyed playing it very much.

Laura from Salt Lake City, Utah says: We played orijinz and had a blast. Everyone learned something, thanks.

Sue B. from Middletown, OH says: My family enjoys playing games and orijinz should be a good one for our age range, 13 through 75. We'll give it a whirl this Thanksgiving vacation.

Rhett from Melbourne, Australia says: Loved the game. A lot of fun and very interesting.

Sue L. from New Orleans, LA says: I saw the game advertised on about the second day that I started my daily Dictionary.com word of the day subscription, and I bought two copies immediately. I can't wait to give one to friends who teach and learn languages, and the other to family members who love to play large group games. I'm looking forward to playing with both groups! Great idea!

C. Lonergan from Oakland says: Recipients loved the game - hope to visit soon to try it myself...

Rachel from New Zealand says: This is a great game to play with family over the Christmas period when everyone is together. The origins of some words are amazingly strange and are guaranteed to raise eyebrows and cause a lot of laughter. If you are a word buff like me, you are guaranteed to have a lot of educational fun!

Nicci from California says: Cool idea for a game! I enjoy playing with my husband. It would be fun if you came up with a version that kids could play too- using more words and phrases from today's generation, like "phat" and "pimp my ride." Thanks for a new and unique diversion!

Noel from Wartrace, Tennessee says: My wife and I play at breakfast; love it.

Catherine C. from Portland, Oregon says: I love this game! It is loads of fun . If you like words and word origins, this is very entertaining. The only drawback is that after you've been through the deck a few times you have to find new players. But that's fun, too. Try it!
What our customers say:
orijinz is a 2008 Parent's Choice Approved Award Winner!