high jinks
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high jinks
- /ˈhaɪ d͡ʒɪŋks/
Where it comes from
Probably related to jink (“(verb) to make a quick evasive turn; to whirl about when dancing, to dance; (noun) a quick evasive turn”), probably originally onomatopoeic, expressing quick movement.
noun highjinks · hijinks · hi-jinks · hijinx · hi-jinx · hijinxs
- An old Scottish parlour game in which people were chosen, usually by throwing dice, to perform some humorous act or drink a large amount of an alcoholic beverage, with a forfeit if they were unable to do so. [T]he frolicsome company had begun to practise the ancient and now forgotten pastime of High Jinks. This game was played in several different ways. Most frequently the dice were thrown by the company, and those upon whom the lot fell were obliged to assume and maintain, for a time, a certain fictiti
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Boisterous activity or behaviour; lively fun.
Only one tutor has rooms here; and I should think, if he's a reading man, it wont be for long before he clears out; for all sorts of high jinks go on on the grass-plot, and the row on the staircases is often as bad, and not half so respectable, as it used to be in the middle passage in the last week
Similar: jinks
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Tricky or waggish behaviour; mischief.
High Jinks! High Jinks! High Jinks! The haggis has puttin' out the fire, and sealed up the boiler—
Similar: commess, shenanigans
Translations
Talk about this word "high jinks." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/high%20jinks. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. high jinks. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/high%20jinks "high jinks." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/high%20jinks.Cite this
@misc{high_jinks_2026,
title = {high jinks},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/high%20jinks},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
