Why Do We Say “Jinx”?

The term jinx typically appears in light-hearted contexts today. Fans might say a baseball team has been “jinxed” ever since trading a player. Kids might use it when they say the same word at the same time, exclaiming “jinx!” to curse the other party with bad luck. One might describe a computer that crashes multiple times—or a person that can’t hold down a job—as “jinxed.”

The practice of labeling bad luck as a jinx is so commonplace that it’s easy to gloss over the origins of the word. So what exactly is a jinx, and when did we start jinxing one another in the first place?

1. What Is a Jinx?
2. Where Did the Term Jinx Come From?
3. Knocking on Wood to Counteract a Jinx

What Is a Jinx?

According to Merriam-Webster, jinx is a name for ”one that brings bad luck.” The term can also be used as a verb, describing an act that brings bad luck like a hex. In that case, the noun jinx can also refer to “the state or spell of bad luck brought on by a jinx.”

Where Did the Term Jinx Come From?

The term jinx appeared in print as early as the beginning of the 20th century. A 1911 edition of the Chicago Daily News used the slang while referring to unlucky baseball players: “Dave Shean and ‘Peaches’ Graham ... have not escaped the jinx that has been following the champions.”

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, jinx is “a variant or alteration of another lexical item.” Its exact origins are disputed, but one theory posits the term is related to the English word wryneck and its Latin root iynx. A type of bird known for twisting its head upside-down when threatened, the creature was once associated with witchcraft and superstitions. 

Experts say wryneck evolved into jynx in the 17th century. Around this time, the word also came to mean a charm or spell, which indicates that this definition of the word far predates its meaning as an unlucky person.

In the 19th century, two characters named Jinx made their mark on American culture, possibly solidifying the word’s modern spelling and connotations. Captain Jinks of the Horse Marines was a popular vaudeville tune that described a bumbling soldier who was booted out of the army. In the musical Little Puck, a character named Jinx Hoodoo brought bad luck with him everywhere he went. It’s possible that thanks to these works, jinx came to mean not just the curse itself but a person who had the luck of someone cursed.

Knocking on Wood to Counteract a Jinx

One of the most common superstitions in the Western world is knocking on wood to counteract evil. In Britain, the phrase knocking on wood has been around since the 19th century. The custom potentially originated with pagans, who believed that gods lived in trees. Knocking on them may have been a sign of gratitude as well as a form of prayer for good fortune in difficult situations. In Christian cultures, wood symbolized the cross, so knocking on wood may have had sacred associations. 

Throwing salt over one’s shoulder was also intended to chase away the devil. Italy’s version of knocking on wood is touching iron. In Turkey, locals pull on one of their earlobes while knocking on wood, and the Irish believed that knocking on wood was a way to ask leprechauns for good luck. 

Cultures across the globe adhere to their own superstitions. While it’s unclear where some of them originated, a jinx is a concept that exists in many corners of the world. Actions like knocking on wood are believed by many to nullify such curses—even today.

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