I'm perfectly fine with "board games." Yeah, it includes simple games like Monopoly and Life, but you know what? Not all games in our hobby are awesome. Sure there's Power Grid and Dominion, but there are some pretty poorly rated games within our little genre like the Hobbit and the Sim City card game. And despite all its raves, I won't be playing that damn flick-your-spaceship game again. There are plenty of games in our hobby that we don't like. I love Galaxy Trucker. A friend of mine would rather stab himself in the eye. I tolerate Monopoly, while many of my friends would Oedipus themselves first.
I leave it with "board games." Odds are likely the average stranger won't care enough to delve into your hobby. If they assume I like Monopoly, then so be it. If they care enough to ask, "Oh, like Sorry?" then I have an opportunity to explain that my board game tastes tend toward a more esoteric side. And someone who has similar tastes to those on this forum will know exactly which questions to ask to learn more.