what do Chinese whispers mean and where did it come from?

Answer 1

I think it comes from the European stereotype of Chinese being incomprehensible - obviously tie-ing in with the further down the line the phrase gets the more it differs and becomes incomprehensible from the beginning.

Answer 2

Chinese whispers or Telephone is a game in which each successive participant secretly whispers to the next a phrase or sentence whispered to them by the preceding participant. Cumulative errors from mishearing often result in the sentence heard by the last player differing greatly and amusingly from the one uttered by the first. It is most often played by children as a party game or in the playground. It is often invoked as a metaphor for cumulative error, especially the inaccuracies of rumours.[1]

The game has many other names, including the telephone game, Broken Telephone, operator, grapevine, whisper down the lane and Pass It Down. In the United States, "Telephone" is the most common name for the game.[1] The name "Chinese whispers" reflects the former stereotype in Europe of the Chinese language as being incomprehensible.[2] It is little-used in the United States and may be considered offensive.[3] However, it remains the common name in the United Kingdom and many British-influenced countries, where it is not generally considered politically incorrect.[4] In practice the game is also referred to by describing how to play, without giving it a specific name

Answer 3

You probably know that it is a game, back in t' days when we knew how to entertain ourselves, lad, and did not need all these new-fangled electric gizmos, where a line of people would have a message whispered to teh first one and it would be passe dalong the line and great amusement would result from the subsequent distortions. Generally it means how a story can get changed the more often it is repeated. For example, while it is clear Princess Diana was shot by an ex-Mossad mercenary in the pay of MI5, after ten years some people actually believe she died in a car wreck.

Answer 4

The name "Chinese whispers" reflects the stereotype in Europe of the Chinese language as being incomprehensible.

Answer 5

http://www.chinesewhispers.com/
http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/chinese+whispers.html
http://www.mwls.co.uk/icebreakers/chinese.pl