high jinks

or hi·jinks

[ hahy-jingks ]

noun

, (used with a plural verb)

1. boisterous celebration or merrymaking; unrestrained fun:

   The city is full of conventioneers indulging in their usual high jinks.

   Synonyms: horseplay

high jinks

/ ˈhaɪˌdʒɪŋks /

noun

1. lively enjoyment

Word History and Origins

Origin of high jinks¹

First recorded in 1760–70; jink

Idioms and Phrases

Playful or rowdy activity, often involving mischievous pranks. For example, All sorts of high jinks go on at summer camp after “lights out.” About 1700 this term denoted a gambling game accompanied by much drinking, but by the mid-1800s it acquired its present meaning.

Example Sentences

More drunken high jinks ensue, and Hastings grabs more fodder for his story.

From The Daily Beast

Let's have a real old high jinks of a slambang bust to celebrate my convalescence.

From Project Gutenberg

Nor were high jinks and special naval matters by any means Marryat's only province.

From Project Gutenberg

Those were my high-jinks days when very many things seemed possible.

From Project Gutenberg

I thought you were having high jinks down in Maine on the yacht, and playing cards every night with your cronies!

From Project Gutenberg

The high jinks were kept up to an advanced hour, and every one agreed that they had never spent a more delightful evening.'

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• antic
• horseplay
• prank