Phrase guide

high jinks

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈhaɪ d͡ʒɪŋks/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

An old Scottish parlour game in which people were chosen, usually by throwing dice, to perform some humorous act or drink a large amount of an alcoholic beverage, with a forfeit if they were unable to do so.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Scotland, historical, plural, plural-only

Topics: games

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Boisterous activity or behaviour; lively fun.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, plural, plural-only

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: jinks

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Tricky or waggish behaviour; mischief.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, plural, plural-only

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: commess, shenanigans

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

noisy and mischievous merrymaking

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: jinks, hijinks, high jinx

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: merrymaking, conviviality, jollification

History

Etymology

Probably related to jink (“(verb) to make a quick evasive turn; to whirl about when dancing, to dance; (noun) a quick evasive turn”), probably originally onomatopoeic, expressing quick movement.

Across languages

Translations

17 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: high jinks — old Scottish parlour game
  • Finnish: ilonpito — boisterous activity or behaviour
  • Finnish: rieha — boisterous activity or behaviour
  • Greek: τρέλες (tréles) — boisterous activity or behaviour
  • Irish: rancás — boisterous activity or behaviour
  • Polish: głupawka — boisterous activity or behaviour
  • Spanish: juerga — boisterous activity or behaviour
  • Spanish: jolgorio — boisterous activity or behaviour
  • Spanish: holgorio — boisterous activity or behaviour
  • Spanish: parranda — boisterous activity or behaviour
  • Spanish: sandanga — boisterous activity or behaviour
  • Estonian: mürgel — tricky or waggish behaviour — see also shenanigans
  • Finnish: metkuilu — tricky or waggish behaviour — see also shenanigans
  • Finnish: pelleily — tricky or waggish behaviour — see also shenanigans
  • Polish: błazenada — tricky or waggish behaviour — see also shenanigans
  • Polish: błazeństwo — tricky or waggish behaviour — see also shenanigans
  • Polish: błaznota — tricky or waggish behaviour — see also shenanigans