broken telephone

alternative Broken Telephone

1. uncountableSynonym of Chinese whispers (in either sense)

   Our kids are playing the world's most complex game of Broken Telephone. And they will need to know that hearing is not the same thing as listening, especially when we're gossiping with hyperconnected digital tools.

   2018, Jordan Shapiro, The New Childhood: Raising Kids to Thrive in a Connected World, New York, N.Y. […]: Little, Brown Spark, →ISBN, page 243

   1 more example

   The number of attendees remains unconfirmed by Toronto police, the City of Toronto, and Pride Toronto organizers. So how did the media get it wrong? The erroneous news reports were a case of broken telephone that can be traced back to a 2009 estimate, which states that Pride week drew 1,120,000 visits.

   2011 July 15, Claire Ward, “Raining on the Pride parade”, in Maclean's, Toronto, Ont.: St. Joseph Communications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 06 Jun 2023

   Synonyms: Chinese whispers

1. alternativeuncountableAlternative form of broken telephone.