“Jinx, you owe me a soda.”

My informant first heard this phrase when he was thirteen years old and in junior high.  My informant and his friends were at lunch hanging out and they both said the word “dumb” at the same time, so his friend said “Jinx, you owe me a soda.”  Ever since then, my informant has been using this phrase.  While my informant and I was getting some ice cream at the supermarket, we both said “cookies and cream” at the same time.  My informant shouted “jinx, you owe me a soda.”  At first I did not understand because I am familiar with when a person says jinx, the other person who did not say it must be silent.  My informant explained to me the different version of this folk speech.  Afterwards, I had to treat my informant to a soda.

There are many different versions of saying jinx when two people say the same word at the same time.  The original version that I am familiar with is when two people say the same word at the same time and one person yells jinx, then the other person must be silent.  If the person who did not say jinx speaks, then he or she will be punished by getting hit in the arm or by getting pinched.  Another rule for playing this game is that if two people say jinx at the same time, then the person who said it the slowest must be silent.  Another variation of this rule is that if two people yell “jinx” at the same time, then one person can say “personal jinx” which will overrule their opponent’s “jinx.”  In this case, the person who said “personal jinx” will be in power and win the game.  In the case of my informant, instead of the other person being silent, the other person just has to buy the winner a soda.

This play on words is considered folklore because many people throughout different cities know about this folk speech.  It has been used so commonly that it is natural for a person to yell “jinx” when two people say the same word at the same time.  Even though at first, this folk speech seemed like a childish one that was only played in grade school.  My informant who is in high school proves that the word “jinx” is not restricted to just children who are in grade school.