Jinx
Ajinx(alsojynx), in popularsuperstitionandfolklore,is a curse or the attribute of attracting bad or negative luck.
Examples of "jinxing" in the 21st-century press include the suggestion a ship might be "jinxed" was made in connection with two cruise liners after misfortunes,MSQueen Victoriaand theEmerald Princess.[1][2]In the 20th century, the Australian aircraft carrierHMASMelbournewas sometimes said to be jinxed, having twice struck a friendly ship, with considerable loss of life.
Etymology[edit]
TheOnline Etymology Dictionarystates that "jynx", meaning a charm or spell, was in usage in English as early as the 1690s.[3]The same source states that "jinx", with that specific spelling, is first attested inAmerican Englishin 1911. Jynx/jinx is traced to the 17th-century wordjyng,meaning "a spell", and ultimately to the Latin wordiynx,also spelledjynx,as 'j' and 'i' are the same letter in Latin.[4]The Latiniynxcame from the Greek name of thewryneckbird,iunx,associated with sorcery; not only was the bird used in the casting of spells and indivination,but the Ancient Romans and Greeks traced the bird's mythological origins to a sorceress namedIynx,who was transformed into this bird to punish her for a spell cast on the godZeus.
History[edit]
A"Mr Jinx"appeared inBallou's monthly magazine– Volume 6, page 276, in 1857.
Barry Popikof theAmerican Dialect Societysuggests that the word should be traced back to an American folksong calledCaptain Jinks of the Horse Marineswritten by William Lingard in 1868.
In 1887, the character Jinks Hoodoo, described as"a curse to everybody, including himself"appeared in the musical comedyLittle Puck,and the name was quickly picked up by the press.[5]
In sports[edit]
One of the uses of the word "jinx" has been in the context ofbaseball;in the short storyThe Jinx(1910) – later collected in the bookThe Jinx: Stories of the Diamond(1911) –Allen Sangreewrote:
By th' bones of Mike Kelly, I'll do it! Yes, sir, I'll hoodoo th' whole darned club, I will. I'll put a jinx on 'em or my name ain't Dasher, an' that goes!
And again
But the ball players instantly knew the truth. "A jinx, a jinx," they whispered along the bench. "Cross-eyed girl sittin' over there back o' third. See her? She's got Th' Dasher. Holy smoke, look at them eyes!" Like the discreet and experienced manager he was, McNabb did not chasten his men in this hour of peril. He treated the matter just as seriously as they, condoling with The Dasher, bracing up the Yeggman, execrating the jinx and summoning all his occult strategy to outwit it.[6]
and later referenced inPitching at a Pinch(1912),Christy Mathewson[5]explained that "a jinx is something which brings bad luck to a ball player." Baseball's most common "jinx" belief is that talking about a pitcher's ongoing no-hitter will cause it to be ended. See alsoCurse of the Bambino.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Moore, Caroline Gammell and Malcolm (15 May 2008)."Queen Victoria liner: Jinxed ship hit again".Retrieved1 November2017– via telegraph.co.uk.
- ^"'It's a pretty horrific thing to happen on a holiday cruise'".10 February 2017.Retrieved1 November2017.
- ^"jynx – Search Online Etymology Dictionary".etymonline.com.Retrieved1 November2017.
- ^"Online Etymology Dictionary: Jinx".Etymonline.com.Retrieved2010-10-11.
- ^ab"Jinx".World Wide Words. 2011-01-15.Retrieved2017-02-11.
- ^The jinx: stories of the diamond.G.W. Dillingham Company. 1911.Retrieved2010-10-11– viaInternet Archive.