One Fat Hen

One of you is the leader and has to know the whole text – ideally on their phone. They say the first line, “One fat hen”, and going round the circle everyone repeats it without a mistake. Only once everybody has managed it does the second line get added, and now each player has to recite both lines in the right order. The chain grows round by round until it reaches the tenth line. Anyone who trips up drinks.

You play it in English, because the fun is in the alliteration: each line starts with its number, and almost every word in it begins with the same sound. The first four are still harmless – “one fat hen, a couple of ducks, three brown bears, four running hares”. From the fifth on, the lines get long, absurd and deliberately built to tie your tongue in knots. There’s no single official wording: the game has been doing the rounds in pubs, halls of residence and summer camps across the English-speaking world for decades, and nearly every group has its own version. Agree on one before you start.

• Repeating: Everyone recites all the lines so far in the right order, without leaving anything out, swapping things round or adding words – not even an extra “and”.
• Mistakes: Hesitate, forget a word or stumble, and you take a sip. The leader then says the line again and the same player has another go.
• Next line: Only when the whole circle has nailed the current chain does the leader add the next line.
• The end: The game’s over once everyone has made it through line ten – in practice, most groups give up laughing long before that.

Variations

• Sip, recite, sip: In the classic version, each player takes a small sip before and after reciting, and mistakes cost an extra one.
• Back to the previous player: After a mistake, the player before you also has to recite their chain again.
• Make your own: Write new lines on the same pattern, like “five frisky foxes feasting on fresh figs”. The more matching sounds, the better.
• Alcohol-free: A slip earns a penalty point. Whoever has the fewest points gets to lead the next game.

Tips

The leader should speak clearly and at a steady pace and stay reasonably clear-headed, because they decide what counts as a mistake. Around line five or six the mood usually tips from focused to silly – that’s the point. If you like Fuzzy Duck or the Suitcase Game, you’ll love One Fat Hen.