Learn English with English, baby!

Join for FREE!

Social_nav_masthead_logged_in
 
jinx someone

jinx someone

Date: Dec 17 2009

Themes: Family

Quote

1. Quote - Listen to the quote and guess what the slang means.

Go Super to Listen Go Super!

“She’s only 18 months, so you don’t know how it’s going to go. Don’t jinx her!”

- Actress Halle Berry on how pretty her daughter Nahla is. (US Weekly)

Definition

1. Definition - Study the definition.

Go Super to Listen Go Super!

put a curse on someone

2. Use - Learn how the slang is used.

Go Super to Listen Go Super!

Every culture has different superstitions. In the US, some people believe that if you break a mirror, you’ll have seven years of bad luck. Or if your palm itches, it means you’re going to find some money.

Other superstitious people believe in jinxing. They think you can give yourself bad luck or stop something good from happening to you just by talking about it too much.

Halle Berry doesn’t want to talk about how cute her 18-month-old daughter Nahla is, because she doesn’t want to jinx her. It could be too early to say whether or not Nahla will turn out to be pretty. But with Halle Berry’s genes, it seems unlikely that Nahla won’t grow up to be attractive, even if someone does jinx her.

Jinx comes from an ancient Greek word for a bird used in magic. A jinx is a kind of spell or curse. You can use it as a verb by saying someone jinxed you. When two people coincidentally say the same thing at the same time, they sometimes shout “Jinx!” The first one to say jinx gives the other one bad luck.

Are you superstitious? What are some of the common superstitions in your country?

Examples

1. Examples - Hear some example sentences.

Go Super to Listen Go Super!

“I don’t want to jinx it by saying this, but I think Jacob likes me.”

“My arch rival said she’d jinxed me so I would do terribly at my recital.”

“If you keep bragging about how well you’re going to do on the test, you might jinx yourself.”

Winners

1. Winners - See who guessed the slang definition correctly.

chomo bad luck :()
by chomo
Temka i think it means casting a spell on something or someone or just saying bad things to him or her about his or her life and future
by Temka
Jinx somebody is a kind of curse that could bring him/her bad luck.
by atypical_spanish
jinx is to cast a bad spell or bring bad luck on someone. Ex. It rains everytime I wear white - it's a jinx!
by periwinkle.chic
fedorame to jinx someone means to give someone bad luck,to curse someone
by fedorame
crescent- jinx : will be not good things happen? we usually said this word!
by crescent-
Philippe C It's like when you give bad luck to someone.
by Philippe C
nik_ms jinx - don't bring her bad luck
by nik_ms
_Sasha_ "jinx" means to put the evil eye on somebody, hex
by _Sasha_

Want to guess next week's slang?

The iTEP® test

  • Schedule an iTEP® test and take the official English Practice Test.

    Take Now >

Comments

Log in to Comment

Verjus

Pakistan

The objectives foot he life and living are studied and understood  http://www.essays.best/ in the realm of the studies and academics the meaning foot heifer and other aspects is paramount and fundamental. THz analysis is carried out and implemented.

12:38 PM Aug 22 2015 |

kukuka

kukuka

Ukraine


Are you superstitious? No,  I am absolutely not superstitious, since I am a well educated and adequate person.

What are some of the common superstitions in your country? The common superstitious are just same everywhere, more or less. My country isn't the exception. People beleive in the mirror stuff, itching palms (yeah, itching palms are a huge problem, indeed), black kittens, jinxing,  salt that have been dropped, etc.

It's so sad.

09:32 AM Dec 23 2009 |

btocb

Germany

 

Well, in my country there are lot of common superstitious  like the mirror the salt, and the "jinx" if you talk too much about something probably you'll jinx it or something.

Personally I don't believe in those kind of things, but there are many people who do.

 

09:56 PM Dec 22 2009 |

Bruno Rodrigues Silva

Brazil

Hello!

 

04:46 PM Dec 22 2009 |

reyhaneh

reyhaneh

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

She is soooooooooo cute, so I touched wood inorder to not to jinx her ;p

12:04 AM Dec 22 2009 |

Pavlovanna

Russian Federation

beautyful gerl

10:24 PM Dec 21 2009 |

Mr.Bean's wife

Myanmar

If I have to answer the first question,to some extent, I am superstitious. Well,one of the common superstitions in my country is that people who are middle-aged and older than that don't like to wear black coz they believe that it will bring them bad luck. We,youngsters,do not believe in that.Most young ppl like to wear black. Another superstition is that the bridegroom shouldn't wear green cos it will make the couple break up. Most of the bridegrooms wear pink,yellow,red,or blue.Great topic!!!!!!!!!!!

11:04 AM Dec 20 2009 |

rebel lee

rebel lee

China

I kind of  believe the "jinx" thing.If you or somebody else repeat saying it,then it will make you think about it all the time,then you will be nervous.At the end you will screw it up.

09:00 AM Dec 20 2009 |

ala4fadeel

Sudan

I'm superstitious unlike most of the folks who are commenting here. Sometimes I feel  starting  my day by meeting certain guys jinx me(that only for me)! 

Here in my country, Sudan many people is superstitious. Some of the things that bring bad luck : a black cat, talking about something you intend to do too much , flipping a shoe etc…

06:57 AM Dec 20 2009 |

haroldenrique

Venezuela

This superstition is also common in my my country Venezuela, and also that if the groom sees the bride before the wedding it brings bad luck to the couple.

09:22 PM Dec 18 2009 |

Lasman

Nigeria

To make or wish someone or something a bad thing

05:19 PM Dec 18 2009 |

noguti

noguti

Brazil

superstitions… many people believe in it. And it becomes stronger in the new year's eve :P

Here in my country people are used to wear clothes coloured according to their wishes (white – peace, yellow – money, red – love…..)

I don't believe in it at all, anyway….

01:42 PM Dec 18 2009 |

Zambuka

Zambuka

United States

Everybody is telling ’ i’m not superstitious ! ’ ! Congratulations :) but this person will certainly take his or her ’ lucky pen ’ to the exam, put on her or his lucky dress to the meeting, and always will wear his or her ’ lucky necklace ’ or something like that ;-) i saw the people , chasing the black cat which crossed the road in front of him, i saw the people who throws the sugar after she dropped some salt on the floor . . . And i think the moment when we’re superstitious one day comes to all of us, even if this person tries to convince himself that he doesn’t care

11:58 PM Dec 17 2009 |

Ca_Brazil

Ca_Brazil

Brazil

im not superstitious. though, when i was a kid, i learned many stuffs that i shouldnt do in order to dont get bad luck like: dont break mirrors, dont let shoes or flip flops turned over, dont walk underneath staircases etc. but i did that stuffs many times and anything bad happpened. so i dont think that can bring you bad luck or curse.

10:53 PM Dec 17 2009 |

Fredo92

Fredo92

Mexico

Are you superstitious? What are some of the common superstitions in your country?

I'm not superstitious at all. In Mexico the most common superstition is that throwing accidentaly  a salt shaker bring you bad luck, that's why some families (including mine) have the habit in meal to leave the salt shaker in the table close to the person who ask for it. Another superstitions are: see black cat and pass underneath a staircase

 

 

10:29 PM Dec 17 2009 |

ferdaddy

ferdaddy

Mexico

of course i´m not a superstitious but for example in my country pass the salt hand to hand brings you bad luck, when you break something made of crystal or just a simple glass it means you´ll be jinxed yourself. ok that sit everybody see youuu

08:50 PM Dec 17 2009 |

Mariah_

Mariah_

Greece

greeeece we say that too in greece :D

05:16 PM Dec 17 2009 |

toudjine

Algeria

in every country there is such superstition , some people believe in it and the rest don’t , for me as muslim we do not believe in this stuff .coz all what we live and we face in life come from alah.

03:17 PM Dec 17 2009 |

moeha1935

moeha1935

Indonesia

Jinx huh! naahhh… it's orthodoxy !

02:45 PM Dec 17 2009 |

appletree8

appletree8

China

We also have the same supertitions in my hometown  that you can't say a baby is beautiful or smart . Pepple think that when others say like that , the baby will be not smart when they grow up.

02:36 PM Dec 17 2009 |

Likes (11):

See all >

Share this lesson:

  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Bebo
  • Share on Myspace
  • Share on Twitter
  • Email this to a friend
  • Share on Sina

Post Ebaby! lessons on your blog:

Ebaby! Cast