[lit-ideas] Re: Jink & Juke

From the OED

jink—noun
1. a. The act of eluding; a quick turn so as to elude a pursuer or escape from a guard. Used esp. of a tricky turn in Rugby Football, or in Aeronautics. Also transf. and fig. to give the jink, to give the slip by way of a trick. 1786 BURNS Bard gone to W. Ind. i, Our billie's gien us a' the jink An' owre the sea. 1818 SCOTT Hrt. Midl. xxx, Now, lass, if ye like, we'll play them a fine jink: we will awa out and take a walk; they will mak unco wark when they miss us, but we can easily be back by dinner time. 1889 R. S. S. BADEN-POWELL Pigsticking 125 In pursuit of a small wild boar..She followed his every ‘jink’ or jump striving to get him under her forefeet. a1914 J. E. RAPHAEL Mod. Rugby Football (1918) 122 [Poulton Palmer's] ‘jink’ is all by itself in modern-day Rugger. 1921 E. H. D. SEWELL Rugby Football vi. 126 The defender..moves to his left as the dummy pass is made, thus making wider the gap which the attacker widens still further by his jink to the defender's right. 1943 HUNT & PRINGLE Service Slang 41 Jinks, quick turns in the air, a form of aerobatics and of avoiding action. 1959 V. FUCHS Antarctic Adv. xii. 168 Suddenly,..below them, they spotted vehicle tracks in the snow. From the outward flight they remembered that except for one ‘jink’ these led in a straight line from South Ice--and the ‘jink’ was only about a quarter of a mile from the station. 1969 P. DICKINSON Pride of Heroes 164 A jink in his train of thought made Pibble wonder who the next heir was. 

jinl—verb orig. Sc.
1. a. intr. To move with quick sudden action; to move or dart with sudden turns; to move jerkily to and fro. Now esp. in Rugby Football and Aeronautics; cf. JINK n.1 1. to jink in, to make a sudden indirect or clandestine dart in. to jink one's way, to advance by means of jinks. 1785 BURNS 2nd Ep. to Davie ii, Hale be your heart, hale be your fiddle; Lang may your elbock jink an' diddle. a1810 TANNAHILL Poems, Midges dance aboon the burn, The merry wren, frae den to den, Gaes jinking through the thorn. 1816 SCOTT Antiq. xxv, My lord couldna tak it weel your coming blinking and jinking in, in that fashion. 1834 M. SCOTT Cruise Midge xxi, Jink out of the room, will ye, for I am very drowsy. 1932 Daily Tel. 19 Mar. 17/2, I can see him jinking his way past our mid-field players. 1942 E. WAUGH Put out More Flags iii. 243 If they come in now from the rear the cars may jink round and give the other companies a chance to get out. 1944 R.A.F. Jrnl. Aug. 288 The aircraft crossed in front of them, jinking steadily at high speed. 1961 R. JEFFRIES Evidence of Accused i. 14 A rabbit..jinked away under the rhododendron bush. 

    b. To wheel or fling about in dancing; to dance.
1715 RAMSAY Christ's Kirk Gr. II. xxiv, Was n'er in Scotland heard or seen..Sic dancing and sic jinkin'. 1804 W. TARRAS Poems 12 (Jam.) Then Tullie gart ilk carlie jink it, Till caps an' trenchers rair't and rinkit. 1894 CROCKETT Raiders 17 Here we were, jinking hand in hand under the trees in the moonlight.
2. intr. To make a quick elusive turn, so as to dodge a pursuer or escape from a guard. Now esp. in Rugby Football and Aeronautics; cf. JINK n.1 1.
1785 BURNS Addr. to Deil xx, But, faith! he'll turn a corner jinkin, An' cheat you yet. {emem} Halloween vi, But Rab slips out, an' jinks about, Behint the muckle thorn. 1827 Blackw. Mag. XXI. 650 He jinks under your elbow, and starts off. 1887 BLACK In Far Lochaber ii, Then ye jink round the corner and call it by another name. 1889 R. S. S. BADEN-POWELL Pigsticking 68 The boar..will often make a feint of jinking to one side, and will dart off in exactly the opposite direction. Ibid., When the boar..sees the spear point being lowered in his direction he will ‘jink’, or suddenly turn sharply to the right or left. a1914 J. E. RAPHAEL Mod. Rugby Football (1918) 103 This is a method which..should not be copied by the ordinary performer{em}except perhaps when ‘jinking’. 1927 WAKEFIELD & MARSHALL Rugger 93 A curious jinking side-step. 1940 Aeroplane 30 Aug. 235/2 One example of Air Ministry verbosity is the continual use of the phrase ‘took evasive action’, instead of saying ‘dodged’ or ‘jinked’. 1942 R.A.F. Jrnl. 18 Apr. 3 You boost and you dive and you jink. 1959 V. FUCHS Antarctic Adv. xii. 169 The visibility was about a hundred yards, but where the tracks jinked sharply right, he closed the throttle. 1963 I. FLEMING On H.M. Secret Service xvii. 189 Bond..put on all the speed he could, crouching low and jinking occasionally to spoil the man's aim. 1969 G. MACBETH War Quartet 35 Untailed, I jinked, Flipped over in a half-roll. 1973 Times 1 Jan. 17/2 Hales scored two tries, but I only saw the first of them, and a good one it was as he jinked inside his man. 

    3. trans. To elude or escape by dodging; to dodge. Cf. JOUK v.2 3.
a1774 FERGUSSON Hame Content Poems (1788) II. 107 There the herds can jink the show'rs 'Mang thriving vines an' myrtle bow'rs. 1889 R. S. S. BADEN-POWELL Pigsticking 180 In such a way as to cause him to jink his pursuers. 

    4. To trick, cheat, diddle, swindle.
1785 R. FORBES Poems Buchan Dial., Ulysses Answ. Ajax 15 For Jove did jink Arcesius. 1832 M. SCOTT in Blackw. Mag. XXXII. 22 The gipsy, after all, jinked an old rich goutified coffee-planter. 1885 J. RUNCIMAN Skippers & Sh. 146 When they find he means to jink them. 
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Robert Paul
Standing in for JL

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