Jinx (children's game)
Encyclopedia
A jinx is a children's
game
(although not necessarily played only by children) with myriad highly varied rules and penalties that occurs when two people
unintentionally or intentionally speak (or type) the same word or phrase simultaneously.
jinx) the same word or phrase at the same time. If one of them (the "jinxer") yells "Jinx!" before any further conversation has begun, the other person (the "jinxee") is in a state of being "jinxed" and may not speak further until they are "released" from the jinx. The rules for what constitutes such a release vary, but often involve someone saying the jinxee's name.
The game ends when either the jinxee is released from the jinx or when the jinxee "breaks" the jinx by speaking while in a state of being jinxed. In the latter case, the Jinxee loses the game, and often a penalty is exacted, typically a drink.
Simultaneous speaking that is planned or expected, such as during the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance
or during the singing of a song, is ineligible for a jinx to occur. A jinx may only follow a spontaneous and unexpected overlapping of conversation by both parties.
When a third party witnesses a jinx performed by at least two other people and that third party calls jinx, all jinxed parties must abide by the standard rules of the "jinxee" while the witness receives the rights of the "jinxer."
Also, the jinxee is not allowed to touch the jinxer, or hurt him/her in any way.
Another penalty is that the loser owes the winner (that is, the person who called jinx) "a Coke
" (cola beverage)and you need to say person who got jinxed name 3 or more times. Victory is often announced when the jinxed person speaks out of turn and the winner yells enthusiastically, "You owe me a Coke!" More often, the winner does not ever receive the Coke. Beer can also be used as an alternate beverage in this variation of the game. Instead of calling out jinx, the players may instead simply call out "beer" when a phase or word is called out simultaneously.
In the case of what is known as a "false jinx" which is also known as "lop jinx," that is, where a person who calls "jinx" on a second party incorrectly, and only if the second party whom "jinx" was called on does not interrupt the jinxer's counting (in such variation), then a "false jinx penalty" is then imposed on the "jinxer," on which then constitutes a normal penalty then being imposed.
from the victim; giving the announcer of the Jinx a soft drink
or otherwise promising to give a soft drink
breaks the Jinx. In other regional versions, "Dibs" or "Pinch-poke" replace "jinx" but the announcer is still entitled to a soft drink
from the victim.
There are regional inconsistencies as to whether nickname
s or shortened names are sufficient to remove a jinx. Similarly, rules vary as to whether a partial or full name (including a middle name) is required. There are variations of the game that require the name to be repeated three times to avoid any casual utterance of the name (and subsequent release of the jinx). Other versions are looser, where even an accidental utterance, such as when calling someone else with the same name, or in the case of a homonym
ic phrase ("Share on"/"Sharon"), is enough to release the jinxed person.
One common but not ubiquitous rule is that the jinxer must count to a predetermined number (such as ten) without being interrupted after saying "jinx". The jinx may be broken during this counting period by the potential jinxee or anyone else in the room.
Other variations on "jinx" involve who is sufficiently qualified to release the person who has been jinxed. In some versions, the jinx can only be released by the person who called jinx. In some versions, anyone in the room is equally qualified.
Sometimes "jinx" is followed by the phrase "can't talk until I say your name X times" (X=insert number) or counting to 10, i.e. "1,2,3...10" and the jinxee cannot speak until their name is said that many times. This version however, lends itself to potential abuse as the jinxer could name as high a number as he or she chooses.
There is also an "Internet jinx" variation played on IRC or other chat, Instant Messaging
, or virtual
/simulated environments where the winner is entitled to indicate punching the loser in the arm or being presented with a Coke, albeit in a virtual sense. Sometimes, the penalty is a kickban.
According to some rules, the person who first yelled "jinx" can subsequently yell "lock" to "lock in" the jinx. This way, only the jinxer can release the jinxee from the jinx. If no lock is placed on the jinx, anyone can say the jinxees name and release the jinxer.
In some varieties of jinx, an automatic expiration duration such as three hours, a day, or a week is imposed. If the jinxer does not release the jinxee from the jinx by this period, the jinxee may break their silence without penalty. At this point, the game has ended. In some versions, the jinxee is deemed to have "won" the game by having survived the jinx period without having broken the jinx.
A variation seen on Laurel and Hardy
, that also appears in Joyce Lankester Brisley
's children's story Milly-Molly-Mandy
, is that the two "jinxees" must link little fingers and think of a poet's name before either of them can speak again. This version has perhaps become outdated.
The US military
version of "jinx" may require that the "jinxee" pay a penalty of 5 "any-times" ("any-times" are push-ups
that act as a payment for a penalty, usually done "any time" "jinxer" sees fit, such as at a large military roll call or anytime it would seem inappropriate for someone to get up in front of a crowd and do push-ups).
In the popular variety, "jinx at work," the jinx rules may be temporarily suspended in the interest of not losing one's job. For example, if a client calls or a coworker must urgently speak with a person who is jinxed, the jinxed individual is provided a brief moratorium lasting as long as it takes to complete the task at hand. Following that, the person returns to being jinxed as normal.
In Ireland it is common that when someone has been jinxed they can say back 'Touch wood' while touching wood and counteracting the jinx, and thus causing the original jinxer to now be jinxed. Touch wood can be said by either party, but it must be said within 3 seconds of the jinx initiation.
In Australia, while "Jinx" is acknowledged, there is rarely any consequence. A Jinxer may call 'Jinx' on the Jinxee, but this will just result in an acknowledgment of the jinx, after which everybody moves on.
In Iceland, in order to jinx someone, the Jinxer says "Strumpur" (Smurf) instead of the English "Jinx". The rules and penalties vary as in english speaking countries but are very similar. A popular penalty is that if the Jinxed person loses they owe the Jinxer both a Coke and a certain type of chocolate bar (Kók og Prins Póló).
Also, there is an alternitive set of rules. They imply that when one player "jinxes" another the jinxer can be owed a soft drink
of their choosing rather than simply winning silence from the jinxed player.
The jinx sequence varies from one community to another, and both players must be in consensus about its components and order.
One example of a jinx sequence is as follows:
To call up the liner, one might say: "Jinx! Double jinx! Triple jinx! Quadruple Jinx!" as quickly as possible. This can go on indefinitely, unless someone calls "Jinx Infinity!"
Additionally, any outsider may be allowed to call 'Personal Jinx' on any two people as well, as long as they call it before the two parties speak. Likewise, an outsider may negate a personal Jinx by yelling "Personal!" before the Jinxer of the two parties yells "Personal!" This may be done by parties invested in the party being Jinxed's ability to speak.
Child
Biologically, a child is generally a human between the stages of birth and puberty. Some vernacular definitions of a child include the fetus, as being an unborn child. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority...
game
Game
A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...
(although not necessarily played only by children) with myriad highly varied rules and penalties that occurs when two people
Person
A person is a human being, or an entity that has certain capacities or attributes strongly associated with being human , for example in a particular moral or legal context...
unintentionally or intentionally speak (or type) the same word or phrase simultaneously.
Rules
A jinx can be initiated when at least two people make any of the same sounds, comments, etc. unintentionally say (or type, in the case of InternetInternet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
jinx) the same word or phrase at the same time. If one of them (the "jinxer") yells "Jinx!" before any further conversation has begun, the other person (the "jinxee") is in a state of being "jinxed" and may not speak further until they are "released" from the jinx. The rules for what constitutes such a release vary, but often involve someone saying the jinxee's name.
The game ends when either the jinxee is released from the jinx or when the jinxee "breaks" the jinx by speaking while in a state of being jinxed. In the latter case, the Jinxee loses the game, and often a penalty is exacted, typically a drink.
Simultaneous speaking that is planned or expected, such as during the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance
Pledge of Allegiance
The Pledge of Allegiance of the United States is an expression of loyalty to the federal flag and the republic of the United States of America, originally composed by Christian Socialist Francis Bellamy in 1892 and formally adopted by Congress as the pledge in 1942...
or during the singing of a song, is ineligible for a jinx to occur. A jinx may only follow a spontaneous and unexpected overlapping of conversation by both parties.
When a third party witnesses a jinx performed by at least two other people and that third party calls jinx, all jinxed parties must abide by the standard rules of the "jinxee" while the witness receives the rights of the "jinxer."
Also, the jinxee is not allowed to touch the jinxer, or hurt him/her in any way.
Penalties
The historic penalty for losing or violating a jinx is a pinch or punch in the arm.Another penalty is that the loser owes the winner (that is, the person who called jinx) "a Coke
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
" (cola beverage)and you need to say person who got jinxed name 3 or more times. Victory is often announced when the jinxed person speaks out of turn and the winner yells enthusiastically, "You owe me a Coke!" More often, the winner does not ever receive the Coke. Beer can also be used as an alternate beverage in this variation of the game. Instead of calling out jinx, the players may instead simply call out "beer" when a phase or word is called out simultaneously.
In the case of what is known as a "false jinx" which is also known as "lop jinx," that is, where a person who calls "jinx" on a second party incorrectly, and only if the second party whom "jinx" was called on does not interrupt the jinxer's counting (in such variation), then a "false jinx penalty" is then imposed on the "jinxer," on which then constitutes a normal penalty then being imposed.
Variations
In the United States, the most common variation is to have the announcer of the Jinx be entitled to a soft drinkSoft drink
A soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that typically contains water , a sweetener, and a flavoring agent...
from the victim; giving the announcer of the Jinx a soft drink
Soft drink
A soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that typically contains water , a sweetener, and a flavoring agent...
or otherwise promising to give a soft drink
Soft drink
A soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that typically contains water , a sweetener, and a flavoring agent...
breaks the Jinx. In other regional versions, "Dibs" or "Pinch-poke" replace "jinx" but the announcer is still entitled to a soft drink
Soft drink
A soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that typically contains water , a sweetener, and a flavoring agent...
from the victim.
There are regional inconsistencies as to whether nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
s or shortened names are sufficient to remove a jinx. Similarly, rules vary as to whether a partial or full name (including a middle name) is required. There are variations of the game that require the name to be repeated three times to avoid any casual utterance of the name (and subsequent release of the jinx). Other versions are looser, where even an accidental utterance, such as when calling someone else with the same name, or in the case of a homonym
Homonym
In linguistics, a homonym is, in the strict sense, one of a group of words that often but not necessarily share the same spelling and the same pronunciation but have different meanings...
ic phrase ("Share on"/"Sharon"), is enough to release the jinxed person.
One common but not ubiquitous rule is that the jinxer must count to a predetermined number (such as ten) without being interrupted after saying "jinx". The jinx may be broken during this counting period by the potential jinxee or anyone else in the room.
Other variations on "jinx" involve who is sufficiently qualified to release the person who has been jinxed. In some versions, the jinx can only be released by the person who called jinx. In some versions, anyone in the room is equally qualified.
Sometimes "jinx" is followed by the phrase "can't talk until I say your name X times" (X=insert number) or counting to 10, i.e. "1,2,3...10" and the jinxee cannot speak until their name is said that many times. This version however, lends itself to potential abuse as the jinxer could name as high a number as he or she chooses.
There is also an "Internet jinx" variation played on IRC or other chat, Instant Messaging
Instant messaging
Instant Messaging is a form of real-time direct text-based chatting communication in push mode between two or more people using personal computers or other devices, along with shared clients. The user's text is conveyed over a network, such as the Internet...
, or virtual
Virtual reality
Virtual reality , also known as virtuality, is a term that applies to computer-simulated environments that can simulate physical presence in places in the real world, as well as in imaginary worlds...
/simulated environments where the winner is entitled to indicate punching the loser in the arm or being presented with a Coke, albeit in a virtual sense. Sometimes, the penalty is a kickban.
According to some rules, the person who first yelled "jinx" can subsequently yell "lock" to "lock in" the jinx. This way, only the jinxer can release the jinxee from the jinx. If no lock is placed on the jinx, anyone can say the jinxees name and release the jinxer.
In some varieties of jinx, an automatic expiration duration such as three hours, a day, or a week is imposed. If the jinxer does not release the jinxee from the jinx by this period, the jinxee may break their silence without penalty. At this point, the game has ended. In some versions, the jinxee is deemed to have "won" the game by having survived the jinx period without having broken the jinx.
A variation seen on Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy were one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema...
, that also appears in Joyce Lankester Brisley
Joyce Lankester Brisley
- Biography :Joyce Lankester Brisley was an English writer. She is most noted for her Milly-Molly-Mandy series, which were first printed in 1925 by the Christian Science Monitor. She both wrote and illustrated her books. Joyce Lankester Brisley had two sisters who were also illustrators:...
's children's story Milly-Molly-Mandy
Milly-Molly-Mandy
Milly-Molly-Mandy refers to a series of children's books written and illustrated by Joyce Lankester Brisley, as well as to the main character of those books...
, is that the two "jinxees" must link little fingers and think of a poet's name before either of them can speak again. This version has perhaps become outdated.
The US military
Military of the United States
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
version of "jinx" may require that the "jinxee" pay a penalty of 5 "any-times" ("any-times" are push-ups
Press up
For the 2004 single by Freestylers, see Push UpA push-up, or in British English a press-up, is a common calisthenics exercise performed in a prone position by raising and lowering the body using the arms...
that act as a payment for a penalty, usually done "any time" "jinxer" sees fit, such as at a large military roll call or anytime it would seem inappropriate for someone to get up in front of a crowd and do push-ups).
In the popular variety, "jinx at work," the jinx rules may be temporarily suspended in the interest of not losing one's job. For example, if a client calls or a coworker must urgently speak with a person who is jinxed, the jinxed individual is provided a brief moratorium lasting as long as it takes to complete the task at hand. Following that, the person returns to being jinxed as normal.
In Ireland it is common that when someone has been jinxed they can say back 'Touch wood' while touching wood and counteracting the jinx, and thus causing the original jinxer to now be jinxed. Touch wood can be said by either party, but it must be said within 3 seconds of the jinx initiation.
In Australia, while "Jinx" is acknowledged, there is rarely any consequence. A Jinxer may call 'Jinx' on the Jinxee, but this will just result in an acknowledgment of the jinx, after which everybody moves on.
In Iceland, in order to jinx someone, the Jinxer says "Strumpur" (Smurf) instead of the English "Jinx". The rules and penalties vary as in english speaking countries but are very similar. A popular penalty is that if the Jinxed person loses they owe the Jinxer both a Coke and a certain type of chocolate bar (Kók og Prins Póló).
Also, there is an alternitive set of rules. They imply that when one player "jinxes" another the jinxer can be owed a soft drink
Soft drink
A soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that typically contains water , a sweetener, and a flavoring agent...
of their choosing rather than simply winning silence from the jinxed player.
The jinx sequence
Sometimes, two people will utter "jinx" at exactly the same time. In a "simultaneous jinx", neither person can say to have jinxed the other, therefore no one is jinxed. Instead, jinxes can be immediately called "up the line". To determine who is the jinxer and who is the jinxee, both people must rapidly speak the next word in a (predetermined) jinx sequence. This continues until either there is a clear jinxer (the first person who speaks the next phrase in the sequence uninterrupted) or until both parties have reached the final level in the sequence, at which point no winner can be determined.The jinx sequence varies from one community to another, and both players must be in consensus about its components and order.
One example of a jinx sequence is as follows:
- Jinx
- Double Jinx
- Triple Jinx
- Quadruple Jinx
To call up the liner, one might say: "Jinx! Double jinx! Triple jinx! Quadruple Jinx!" as quickly as possible. This can go on indefinitely, unless someone calls "Jinx Infinity!"
Additionally, any outsider may be allowed to call 'Personal Jinx' on any two people as well, as long as they call it before the two parties speak. Likewise, an outsider may negate a personal Jinx by yelling "Personal!" before the Jinxer of the two parties yells "Personal!" This may be done by parties invested in the party being Jinxed's ability to speak.
External links
- The Law of the Playground - Jinx
- http://comics.com/big_nate/2006-12-17/"Big NateLincoln PeirceLincoln Peirce is a mexican cartoonist who writes the comic strip Big Nate. Peirce is from Portland, Maine, lives with his wife and two children, and occasionally gives lectures to students about cartoon creating....
" comic strip] of 12-17-2006 in which the characters play a game of Jinx to a tie (the "Buy me a Coke" version).