crambo means A guessing game in which players guess words that rhyme with a clue word, seeking a word that is kept secret or concealed. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 88 out of 100.
Why “crambo” is a great word
CRAMBO — [Noun] A parlor game in which players must guess a word based on a clue, with the sole constraint that their guess must rhyme with the intended answer. Its name descends from the Latin *crambe repetita* (literally 'cabbage served up again'), a phrase from Juvenal's Satires used to denote a tedious repetition; it was first recorded in English in the early 1600s. Unlike 'rhyme,' which names the broad principle of sonic correspondence, or 'charades,' which relies on pantomimed meanings, crambo is a strict, verbal arena where sound is sovereign and meaning secondary. It is the clatter of a dozen guesses—*'moon,' 'spoon,' 'loon'*—hurled at a single, stubborn syllable; the quiet, frantic rifling through the mind's sonic catalogue; the collective groan at the inevitable, predictable answer. It is repetition made ritual, transforming the banal cabbage of language into a fleeting, social feast.
Etymology
* Perhaps related to cramp (“difficult”) (adjective).
* Perhaps from Latin crambe repetita (“cabbage served up again”).
noun
- A guessing game in which players guess words that rhyme with a clue word, seeking a word that is kept secret or concealed.“I saw in one corner […] a cluster of men and women, diverting themselves with a game at crambo. I heard several double rhymes […] which raised a great deal of mirth.”
- A word rhyming with another word.“His similes in order set
And every crambo he could get.”