Definition (game show)

Definition was a Canadian television game show, which aired on CTV from 1974 tp 1989. The show was hosted by Jim Perry.

Like the later Wheel of Fortune, Definition was essentially a variation on the word game Hangman. Two contestants appeared on each show, each paired with a celebrity guest. The contestant/celebrity pairs would take turns guessing letters in a phrase for which Perry had offered a pun as a clue. If a pair guessed a correct letter, they could take another turn, guess the phrase or "give" a letter to their opposing team. (This, obviously, was a strategy that would normally be used if the team was confident that the letter given would confuse rather than aid their opponents.)

The show, while popular in Canada, was also sometimes mocked for the cheapness of its prizes, which were often small kitchen appliances. Only the show's year-end championship tournament offered the types of expensive prizes, such as a car, that were commonplace on American game shows.

The show's theme song was taken from an instrumental piece by Quincy Jones. It was sampled by the hip hop band Dream Warriors in their 1991 hit "My Definition of a Boombastic Jazz Style", and was later also used as the theme music for Mike Myers' Austin Powers movies.