mischievous play or wild fun, especially in the phrase 'high jinks' meaning playful pranks or boisterous behavior.
Origin obscure but possibly related to 'jink' meaning to move quickly or evasively. First appeared in the phrase 'high jinks' in 18th-century literature referring to games and pranks.
The phrase 'high jinks' became so popular in Victorian literature that it defined an entire social attitude toward pranks and mischief—it suggested fun that was acceptable because it wasn't malicious, just exuberant.
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