orig. Sc. [cf. JINK v.1]
1. The act of eluding; a quick turn so as to elude a pursuer or escape from a guard. To give the jink, to give the slip by way of a trick.
1786. Burns, Bard gone to W. Ind., i. Our billie’s gien us a’ the jink An’ owre the sea.
1818. Scott, Hrt. Midl., xxx. Now, lass, if ye like, we’ll play them a fine jink: we will awa out and take a walk; they will mak unco wark when they miss us, but we can easily be back by dinner time.
1889. R. S. S. Baden-Powell, Pigsticking, 125. In pursuit of a small wild boar…. She followed his every ‘jink’ or jump striving to get him under her forefeet.
b. A ‘turn’ or ‘point’ in an argument.
1823. Galt, R. Gilhaize, I. xiv. 158. At this jink o’ their controversy, who should come in … but Winterton.
2. Cards. The winning of a game of spoil-five, twenty-five, or forty-five, by taking all the tricks in one hand.
1887. Standard Hoyle, 225. Jinks, or, as it is sometimes called, Jink Game, is derived from Spoil-five. The game is won when all five tricks are taken.
1894. ‘Hoffmann,’ Card & Table Games (1898), 248. A player making all five tricks is said to make a ‘jink,’ and wins the game, whether at twenty-five or forty-five.
3. High Jinks: app. orig. high pranks. † a. A name given to various frolics formerly indulged in at drinking parties. Sc. Obs.
They mostly consisted in deciding by the throw of dice who should perform some ludicrous task for the amusement of the company, or who should empty a large bowl of liquor, failure in either case entailing a forfeit. See Hone, Year-bk. (1892), 566; also Ramsay’s note to quot. 1711, and the full context of quot. 1815.
a. 1700. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, Highjinks, a Play at Dice who Drinks.
1711. Ramsay, Elegy Maggy Johnstoun, iv. Often in Maggy’s, at hy-jinks We guzzled scuds, Till we could scarce, wi’ hale-out drinks, Cast off our duds.
1815. Scott, Guy M., xxxvi. The revel had lasted since four o’clock, and, at length … the frolicsome company had begun to practise the ancient and now forgotten pastime of high jinks. This game was played in several different ways.
1822–30. Ld. Cockburn, Mem., 225. There were no High Jinks, or sprightly sayings, or songs; but a good deal of kindly personal banterings.
1837. Lockhart, Scott, May, an. 1795. The evening ended in the full jollity of High Jinks.
1890. Mrs. Oliphant, Roy. Edinb., IV. i. 409. He only learned to rhyme from the necessity of taking his part in the high jinks of the club.
b. Lively or boisterous sport; romping games or fun; free or unrestrained merry-making. (Also simply jinks.)
1842. Barham, Ingol. Leg., Bros. Birchington, xvii. High Jinks going on night and day at ‘the court.’
a. 1845. Hood, Forge, ii. Smiling with faces full of glee, As if about to enjoy High Jinks.
1851. Dixon, W. Penn, iii. (1872), 25. The Navy Gardens were a scene for romps and jinks.
1861. Hughes, Tom Brown at Oxf., i. (1889), 7. All sorts of high jinks go on on the grass plot.
1896. J. D. Coleridge, Eton in Forties, iv. 295. The high time for jinks was during the Windsor fair.
c. See quot.
1785. Grose, Dict. Vulg. T., High Jinks, a gambler at dice, who, having a strong head, drinks to intoxicate his adversary, or pigeon [ed. 1823 adds: chaps always on the look out to rob unwary country men at cards, &c.].
d. attrib. in form high-jink.
1853. W. Jerdan, Autobiog., IV. iii. 33. In the midst of these high-jink enjoyments, it must not be thought that the real business … was quite neglected.
