jinx

English

WOTD – 27 April 2010

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

jinx (plural jinxes)

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 (ja) (じゃし, jashi), ジンクス (ja)
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
Finnish: pahan onnen tuoja, pahanilmanlintu (fi)
French: porte-malheur (fr)
German: Pechvogel (de) m, Unglücksbringer m
Greek: γρουσούζης (el) (grousoúzis)
Italian: iettatore (it) m, iettatrice (it) f
Portuguese: agourento (pt) m
Romanian: piază rea f
Russian: колду́н (ru) (koldún), колду́нья (ru) (koldúnʹja), ве́дьма (ru) (védʹma)
Serbo-Croatian: baksuz (sh) m
Spanish: gafe (es) m (person), ave de mal agüero f, cenizo (es)
Tagalog: kasaykasay

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

(transitive) To cast a spell on.
(transitive) To bring bad luck to.
(transitive) To cause something to happen by mentioning it, usually sarcastically.
- 2008, Susane Colasanti, chapter 46, in When It Happens‎, Penguin, →ISBN:
  “So you'll all be near New York!” Maggie says. “We don't know for sure yet.” Sara stresses. “Don't jinx it.”
- 2012, Sally Heinrich, Hungry Ghosts, Hachette UK, →ISBN:
  I've no idea if she guessed what I was intending to do. I don't know why I was so reluctant to talk about it, even to her. Maybe I was afraid that verbalising my intentions would jinx it in some way.

To cast a spell on

To bring bad luck to

Arabic: نَحَسَ‎ (ar) (naḥasa), جَلَبَ اَلنَّحْس‎ (jalaba n-naḥs)
Azerbaijani: gözə gətirmək
Belarusian: суро́чыць (suróčycʹ)
Danish: forbande (da)
Dutch: beheksen (nl)
Esperanto: kaŭzi malfeliĉon
Finnish: olla pahanilmanlintu, manata (fi)
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
Norwegian:
Bokmål: forbanne (no)
Polish: zapeszyć
Portuguese: azarar (pt)
Romanian: cobi (ro)
Russian: сгла́зить (ru) (sglázitʹ), принести́ несча́стье (prinestí nesčástʹje)
Slovak: prinášať smolu
Spanish: traer mala suerte, gafar (es), gafarse (es)
Swedish: ge otur, förbanna (sv)
Ukrainian: навро́чити (navróčyty)
Urdu: منحوس‎ c du

jinx

Used after the same thing is said by two people simultaneously.
Synonym: snap
- 1991, Robert Cohen, “Flaming Moe's”, in The Simpsons‎, season 3, episode 10:
  Bart: I'm telling Mom and Dad! / Lisa: You're telling who? / Bart: Mom and Dad! / Girls: MOM AND DAD? JINX! / Janey Powell: Now you can't talk, 'til somebody says your name!

Used after simultaneous speech