"fanelights"

Douglas G. Wilson douglas at NB.NET
Sun Oct 1 00:15:03 UTC 2006


>I'm doing a bit of research on the "jinx" ritual, where people race to say
>"jinx" after speaking simultaneously.  My (English) partner says that on
>his playground kids said "jinx and fanelights"--except that we have no idea
>how to spell "fanelights".  A few attempts on google have been fruitless.
>Does anyone know this word?

I speculate this = "fen lights"/"fenlights". "Fen light" = "ignis fatuus" =
"will-o'-the-wisp", I guess.

I suppose this might be an elaboration of the children's interjection
"fen"/"fain", shown in MW3.

-- Doug Wilson


--
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.1.407 / Virus Database: 268.12.10/459 - Release Date: 9/29/2006

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org



More information about the Ads-l mailing list