Re: jinx, double jinx, and more

On Tue, 30 Oct 2007 16:50:17 -0400, "Brian M. Scott"
<b.scott@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in
<news:1fuiifte69vru.18e72fzvtwayn.dlg@xxxxxxxxxx> in
sci.lang:

On Mon, 29 Oct 2007 17:48:24 -0700, Keith GOERINGER
<verbivore@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in
<news:verbivore-4DEF16.17482429102007@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
in sci.lang:

All,

Mini-survey question here. In the U.S., most people know
the word "jinx!", used when two people say the same
thing at the same time. For those who don't know what
it is, it is mainly used among kids as a kind of "power
play" or something. You're talking to someone, and in
the course of the conversation, both people say the same
word or phrase at the same time. The first person to
say "jinx!" is given some sort of power over or
concession by the other person. If both people say
"jinx!" at the same time, then "double jinx!" comes
next.)

So far as I can recall, I've never encountered this at all,
either in person or in reading. From age 4 until I went off
to college I lived in Berkeley, Amherst (Mass.), Richmond
(Ind.), and Ripon (Wisc.).

I do know the British 'Snap!', but it's more general and
lacks the penalty element.

A poster at
<http://separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.com/2006/10/jinx-and-snap.html>
says that her Illinois-raised parents use 'Jinx you owe me a
Coke'.

Brian
.