mind gamen.
/ˈmʌɪn(d)ɡeɪm/, U.S. /ˈmaɪn(d)ˌɡeɪm/ 1. A game designed to exercise the mind, a brain-teaser.
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the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > secrecy, concealment > a profound secret, mystery > puzzle, enigma, riddle > [noun] > mental exercise
gymnasticsa1832
mind game1963
society > leisure > entertainment > toy or plaything > puzzle > [noun] > other puzzles
puzzle box1831
cryptarithm1943
alphametic1955
Rubik's cube1980
mind game1988
1905 W. H. Herford Student's Froebel ix. 75 Mind-games—Games of thought and judgment; as draughts, chess, etc.
1963 Winnipeg Free Press 4 Feb. 13/5 When we were young our parents played games with us..They were mind games... One of our games in childhood was called Rhyming Geography.
1988 Oxf. Today 1 i. (recto rear cover) (advt.) Mind games for first class minds... A monthly compendium of ever-challenging problems, puzzles and logic questions..with a chance to sharpen your wits.
2. An instance of psychological manipulation, esp. used to gain an advantage over someone else.
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1967 Herald-Jrnl. (Logan, Utah) 4 Dec. (TV section) 8/1 LSD prophet Timothy Leary urges on 'NET Journal' this evening..'You can't vote, I urge you not to politic, don't picket, don't get involved in any of these menopausal mind games, because it doesn't make any difference.'
1973 J. Lennon Mind Games (song) in Lennon Solo Years (1981) 80 We're playing these mind games together.
1991 Boston Apr. 129/3 Among the obvious mind games that jewelers play to maximize their sales is a mental switcheroo that leaves lovers convinced that the size of a gemstone reflects the depth of their feelings and commitment.
1997 New Yorker 15 Sept. 54/2 No, it wasn't mutual therapy. But I suppose it was a mind game.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2002; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1905