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

The audience at the Saturday matinee audience I attended was filled with young people who seemed delighted by the rambunctious high jinks.

From Los Angeles Times

It makes for a strange tone throughout the film, that the congregation is so horrified by kids who are clearly hungry and fending for themselves, so it’s hard to laugh at their high jinks.

From Los Angeles Times

Yet the comic high jinks, star-crossed lovers and long-lost relatives that pop up in his play “The Miser,” first produced in 1668, will be instantly familiar to anybody who has ever seen a Shakespeare comedy.

From New York Times

“Ain’t Got No Home,” which reached No. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100, became Henry’s signature hit and definitively captured his humor and his vocal high jinks.

From Seattle Times

“Ain’t Got No Home,” which reached No. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100, became Mr. Henry’s signature hit and definitively captured his humor and his vocal high jinks.

From New York Times

Related Words

• antic
• horseplay
• prank