Definition was a Canadian television game show, which aired on CTV from 1974 to 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. First, the pair would "give" a letter to the opposing team, hoping that letter did not appear in the puzzle. If the "given" letter did not appear -- which was usually the case, since teams would choose a seldom-used letter like Z or Q -- the team could choose a letter for themselves. If this was a correct letter, they could take another turn or guess the phrase. But if an incorrect letter was guessed, the pair's turn would end and the opposing team's turn started.

The show, while popular in Canada, was also sometimes mocked for the cheapness of its prizes, which were usually small kitchen appliances, pen and pencil sets, or other small courtesy gifts. Only the show's annual championship tournaments offered the types of expensive prizes, such as a car or a resort vacation, that were commonplace on American game shows.

The show's theme song was taken from an instrumental jazz piece by Quincy Jones, "Soul Bossa Nova". It was sampled by the Canadian 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.

External link