[Ads-l] Antedating of "Jinx, v."

Mon Aug 8 19:09:29 UTC 2022

For anyone interested in the history of “Jinks”/”Jinx” – Captain Jinks of the Horse Marines was a sort of clumsy ne’er do-well, as I recall – things went wrong.  But he did not have the sense of a bad luck charm.

Beginning in 1885, Frank Daniels had a play called “Little Puck,” which included a character named “Jinks Hoodoo” – from which the sense of bad luck charm associated with Hoodoo may have been transferred to “Jinks”.  “Little Puck” was based on a book called “Vice Versa,” a precursor of “Freaky Friday,” in which a father and son switch bodies and assume each others’ positions in life – son makes decisions, father goes to school.  All facilitated by an idol of some kind from Jinks Hoodoo’s dime museum.

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From: Peter Reitan<mailto:pjreitan at HOTMAIL.COM>
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Subject: Re: Antedating of "Jinx, v."

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Not earlier, but =93jinksed=94 as a verb a short time later.

The Saturday Evening Post, Volume 182, Number 48, May 28, 1910, page 5.

The Na=EFve Mr. Dasher =96 Story of a Baseball Jinks, by Allen Sangree.

[Start Excerpt] =93It wouldn=92t be hard to put a jinks on this club,=94 he=
 told himself confidently.  =93There=92s a dozen of =91em scared t=92 death=
 of a wagonload of empty barrels.  Miller =96 he=92s th=92 limit, McGuigan=
=92s a nut himself.  By gad, I=92d like t=92 do it; old gold-digger=92d nev=
er know =96 get =91em jinksed =96 set =91em down a couple o=92 games.[End E=
xcerpt]

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=3Duiuo.ark:/13960/t2j70302x&view=3D1=
up&seq=3D79&skin=3D2021

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From: Peter Reitan<mailto:pjreitan at HOTMAIL.COM>
Sent: Monday, August 8, 2022 11:08 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU<mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Subject: Re: Antedating of "Jinx, v."

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Poster:       Peter Reitan <pjreitan at HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Antedating of "Jinx, v."
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I have a lot of information on =3D93Jinks=3D94 and =3D93Jinx=3D94 that I ha=
ve not p=3D
ut in a blog post yet.

I had not taken a close look at Jinx as a verb, but have taken a quick look=
=3D
 after seeing these comments.

=3D93Jinx=3D94 is almost certainly, ultimately from an old play or song or =
char=3D
acter, =3D93Captain Jinks of the Horse Marines,=3D94 as noted by Barry Popi=
k (p=3D
erhaps others) long ago, I believe.

Jinx, Hoodo, Mascot were all common in baseball for bad luck charms and a g=
=3D
ood luck charm.
=3D93Put the Jinx on=3D94 was in use from at least 1908 in baseball.

I=3D92ve now found =3D93Jinksed=3D94 as a verb from 1910, also in baseball.

The Buffalo Enquirer, March 10, 1910, page 8.
[Begin Excerpt] Unlucky Josh Devore. . . . =3D93Ask any of McGraw=3D92s men=
 who=3D
 is the most unfortunate ball player in the business and Devore will be the=
=3D
 answer.  Josh says somebody has =3D91Jinksed=3D92 him. [End Excerpt]
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107205766/the-buffalo-enquirer/

A 1915 example of =3D93jinxed=3D94.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram, August 18, 1915, page 16.
[Begin Excerpt] Fate has been unkind to Harry Howell, former Texas League u=
=3D
mpire.  His ambition to become a grand opera star seems to have jinxed him.=
=3D
 [End Excerpt]
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107205310/fort-worth-star-telegram/

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From: Pete Morris<mailto:mr_peter_morris at OUTLOOK.COM>
Sent: Monday, August 8, 2022 3:41 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU<mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Subject: Re: Antedating of "Jinx, v."

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=3D
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Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Poster:       Pete Morris <mr_peter_morris at OUTLOOK.COM>
Subject:      Re: Antedating of "Jinx, v."
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=3D
----

Here's another cite, possibly 1912 or not long after.

Asked if it were true that a cross-eyed girl was a jinx to a player he=3D3D=
20
replied
"It takes less than a cross-eyed girl to jinx them  sometimes"

https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Santa_Fe_Employes_Magazine/WnMhAQAAM=
=3D
=3D3D
AAJ?hl=3D3D3Den&gbpv=3D3D3D1&bsq=3D3D3D%22to+jinx%22&dq=3D3D3D%22to+jinx%22=
&printse=3D
c=3D3D3Dfron=3D3D
tcover

Just for clarity, is this a specific baseball term?  Or would jinx as a=3D3=
D2=3D
0
verb in other
contexts count?  (I don't follow sport at all, and baseball is a=3D3D20
complete mystery to me)

------ Original Message ------
>From "Shapiro, Fred" <fred.shapiro at YALE.EDU>
To ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Date 08/08/2022 01:49:25
Subject Antedating of "Jinx, v."

>The OED's first use for "jinx" as a verb is dated 1917.  Edward J. Nichols=
=3D
=3D3D
, An Historical Dictionary of Baseball Terminology 39 (1939) cites _New Yor=
=3D
=3D3D
k Tribune_, 21 Apr. 1912, although it is possible that the usage cited is a=
=3D
=3D3D
s a noun.
>
>Fred Shapiro
>
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