I missed a week of posting on slang-o-rama because I was getting up to high jinks in Colorado, culminating in being inducted into the Colorado Authors' Hall of Fame along with an amazing slate of Colorado-based writers. I was overwhelmed, to say the least, at this incredible honor. It was wonderful to attend the ceremony, meet the other inductees and the organizers, have a chance to thank folks, and...
Hmmm. High jinks. What does that mean, exactly? Am I using it correctly? And where did the term come from?
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| Engaging in shadow-puppet high jinks at the induction ceremony? Or just trying to see past the light? Photo by Devyn McConachie |
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Merriam-Webster's Word History blog says:
High jinks, also spelled hi-jinks, is defined in our dictionary as "boisterous or rambunctious carryings-on" or "carefree antics or horseplay," and if it sounds a bit old-fashioned, that's because it is.
According to the M-W post, the earliest use of this term (slightly different spelling) appeared in a 1683 English translation of Erasmus:
And as to all those Shooing-horns of drunkenness, the keeping every one his man, the throwing Hey-jinks, the filling of bumpers, the drinking two in a hand, the beginning of Mistresses healths; and then the roaring out of drunken catches, the calling in a Fidler, the leading out every one his Lady to dance, and such like riotous pastimes, ...M-W adds that hey-jinks (also spelled high jinks) was the name of a dice game of chance. It shows up in a 1699 dictionary of underworld slang, which notes: "Highjinks: A Play at Dice who Drinks."
—Witt against wisdom, or, A panegyrick upon folly
The Word Detective defines jinks as “playful, rowdy activity” or “disruptive pranks or unruly behavior," and adds more details about that dice game:
Apparently high jinks in the 16th century was a drinking game (at the time also known as “high pranks”) in which the loser in a throw of dice had to perform a silly task (or drink a certain quantity of alcohol).
Apparently, by the mid-19th century, high jinks had come to mean “lively merrymaking” and “boisterous pranks” in general.
Lively merrymaking sums up the event for me! To be recognized in this way is an honor that I'll cherish forever...
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| No high jinks from me here, just a whole lot of happiness and gratitude to receive this award and be part of the wonderful evening! Photo by Bill McConachie |
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