jinx

English

WOTD – 27 April 2010

Etymology

From jynx in the transferred sense “a charm or spell”.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dʒɪŋks/

• Audio (CA):

  (file)

• Audio (AU):

  (file)

• Homophone: jynx
• Rhymes: -ɪŋks

Noun

jinx (plural jinxes)

1. A hex; an evil spell.
2. A person or thing supposed to bring bad luck.

Synonyms

• (hex): curse, hoodoo, Indian sign, spell

Derived terms

• reverse jinx

Translations

A hex; an evil spell

• Bulgarian: проклятие (bg) n (prokljatie)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 厄運／厄运 (zh) (èyùn), 詛咒／诅咒 (zh) (zǔzhòu)

• Danish: forbandelse c
• Finnish: kirous (fi)
• French: maléfice (fr) m, sortilège (fr) m
• German: Fluch (de) m, Verwünschung (de) f
• Italian: maleficio (it) m, sortilegio (it) m, iettatura (it) f, malocchio (it) m
• Japanese: 邪視 (じゃし, jashi), ジンクス
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Persian: جادو (fa) (jâdu)
• Portuguese: enguiço (pt) m, macumba (pt) f, maldição (pt) f
• Russian: дурно́й глаз (ru) m (durnój glaz), сглаз (ru) m (sglaz), по́рча (ru) f (pórča), злые ча́ры (zlyje čáry)
• Slovak: kliatba f
• Spanish: maleficio (es) m, maldición (es) f, fucú (Dominican Republic), pava f (Venezuela), yeta f (Argentina, Uruguay)
• Swedish: förbannelse (sv) c

A person or thing supposed to bring bad luck

• Arabic:

  Gulf Arabic: قُبُّسة (gʊbbʊsə)

• Bulgarian: карък m (karǎk)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 白虎星 (zh) (báihǔxīng) (of a woman), 掃帚星／扫帚星 (zh) (sàozhǒuxīng) (of a person), 不祥之物 (bùxiángzhīwù)

• Danish: ulykkesfugl c
• Dutch: ongeluksbrenger m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Finnish: pahan onnen tuoja, pahanilmanlintu (fi)
• French: porte-malheur (fr)
• Greek: γρουσούζης (el) (grousoúzis)
• Italian: iettatore (it) m, iettatrice (it) f
• Portuguese: agourento (pt) m
• Russian: колду́н (ru) (koldún), колду́нья (ru) (koldúnʹja), ве́дьма (ru) (védʹma)
• Spanish: gafe (es) m (person), ave de mal agüero f, cenizo (es)
• Tagalog: kasaykasay

Verb

jinx (third-person singular simple present jinxes, present participle jinxing, simple past and past participle jinxed)

1. (transitive) To cast a spell on.
2. (transitive) To bring bad luck to.
3. (transitive) To cause something to happen by mentioning it, usually sarcastically.

Translations

To cast a spell on

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 蛊祝 (zh) (gǔzhù),詛咒／诅咒 (zh) (zǔzhòu)

• Czech: uhranout (cs)
• Danish: forhekse
• Finnish: kirota (fi)
• French: porter malheur (fr), porter la guigne, maudire (fr)
• Italian: gettare il malocchio
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: forhekse

• Persian: جادو کردن (jâdu kardan)
• Russian: сгла́зить (ru) (sglázitʹ)
• Slovak: urieknuť, porobiť, uhranúť
• Swedish: förhäxa (sv), förtrolla (sv)

To bring bad luck to

• Arabic: نَحَسَ (naḥasa), جَلَبَ اَلنَّحْس (jalaba n-naḥs)
• Danish: forbande (da)
• Esperanto: kaŭzi malfeliĉon
• Finnish: olla pahanilmanlintu
• French: porter la poisse (fr)
• Galician: traer mala sorte, gafar (gl), gafarse
• German: verhexen (de)
• Italian: portare sfortuna, portare scalogna, portare iella, portare sfiga, gufare, iellare, iettare
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: forbanne (no)

• Polish: zapeszyć
• Portuguese: azarar (pt)
• Russian: сгла́зить (ru) (sglázitʹ), принести́ несча́стье (prinestí nesčástʹje)
• Slovak: prinášať smolu
• Spanish: traer mala suerte, gafar (es), gafarse (es)
• Swedish: ge otur, förbanna (sv)
• Urdu: منحوس c du

Interjection

jinx

1. Used after the same response is said by two people simultaneously. Often, a game is played where the person who failed to say "jinx" first becomes "jinxed", whereby they cannot speak until someone says their name.

Translations

Used after simultaneous response

• Danish: forhekset
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• French: chips (fr) f pl
• Swedish: smurf (sv)

Synonyms

• (used after simultaneous response): snap

Further reading

• jinx on Wikipedia.Wikipedia