Jinx

To “jinx” something means to cast bad luck on a situation by talking about it. “Jinx” has a superstitious element, like if you say one thing, but only because you said it, the opposite actually happens. In the lesson, I said I don’t want to “jinx” things, but I think we can allow ourselves some more optimism with the pandemic. I don’t want to cast bad luck on the pandemic by talking about our progress. Just before getting in the car, the driver said she hadn’t gotten a speeding ticket in over 15 years. She must have “jinxed” it, because just a few minutes later, she was pulled over for speeding.