A small toy ship tilts among blue-green glass pebbles inside an open round fishbowl.

Original artwork, not a still

Denise

This is a wonderful traditional Yuletide game. It's called the Indian Ocean Game. Everybody sits round in a circle, and the first person to mention that the Indian Ocean is forty thousand fathoms deep, loses.

— Do Not Adjust Your Set ‧ 1967

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

Denise introduces the rules with the language of a familiar festive tradition, then makes losing depend on mentioning one oddly precise claim. The elaborate introduction gives that arbitrary restriction ceremonial importance. The comedy lies in the mismatch between the announced occasion and the peculiar thing players must avoid saying.

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