So in English you can "jinx" someone (Jinx you owe me a coke!). Is there a phrase in German that is the equivalent?
English reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jinx_(children's_game)
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We don't play that in Germany. Instead, we have a thing where when two people say the same thing at the same time, they both get to make a wish. Not sure how widely spread that is, though.– elenaNov 1, 2013 at 9:12
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A friend of mine and I, we used to count how often that happens; but other than that...um, well nothing more. - But I remember there was a game where you had to trick people so that they look into, um the rounded opening when you put index and thumb together. Quite stupid that game but if someone did so, he got beaten on the shoulder - similar to what's been described in your link. However, I cannot remember what you said.. I guess something like "Haha, du hast reingeguckt" or such a thing maybe?! Do other remember that game? Does that have a name, or was it only a stupid idea of my classmates– Em1Nov 1, 2013 at 12:34
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There is a custom (among grown-ups rather) to say "Na, beim nächsten Mal gibst du aber einen aus!" if you happen to meet the same (acquainted) person repeatedly the same day (provided this repetition is unexpected, i.e. this is not your next-door neighbour or co-worker)– Hagen von EitzenNov 2, 2013 at 15:56
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@Em1: Yes, it was not only you. Augenhöhe disqualified. Reingeschaut!, or Reingeguckt!. This site calls it Bongoloch (but I never heard this term before).– unorNov 6, 2013 at 12:18
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@unor Hahaha. Good catch. I haven't heard that term either.– Em1Nov 6, 2013 at 12:34
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4 Answers
The German version is "Chips Cola". It doesn't seem to be very far spread but you can find a few results via Google.
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@Takkat: I actually remembered it from my childhood.– user568Nov 10, 2013 at 22:43
The simple answer is:
NO
I also never ever have heard of any of the games mentioned in other answers and comments.
answered Nov 9, 2013 at 16:20
One usage of saying "Jinx!" is when two people coincidentally say or do the same thing in the same moment. In contemporary German there is not such a short phrase but we may say something along the line of
"Du hast mir das Wort aus dem Mund genommen."
"Zeitgleich!" or "Gleichzeitig!"
"Das war ja Telepathie!"
"Kannst Du Gedanken lesen?"
Some of these still have some superstitious element inherent (Telepathie = telepathy, Gedankenlesen = reading thoughts) but probably not to the extent the English counterpart has.
This was not always the case. There was regionally different superstition depicted in phrases used after two people said or did the same simultaneously. Those proverbs are mostly lost today:
Die haben eine arme Seele erlöst.
Die haben einen Schneider in den Himmel gelupft.
Eine Pfaffenköchin wurde aus dem Fegefeuer erlöst.
Quelle: Hoffmann-Krayer et al.: Handwörterbuch des deutschen Aberglaubens
The game isn't played in Germany much, if at all. There is a card game with a similar game mechanic, called "Krieg und Frieden" (Link to German language Wikipedia) or the derivative "Autoquartett" (Link to English language Wikipedia). In these games the equivalent word for jinx is Stich. So, children adopting these games into jinx-like games would probably say Stich.
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"to jinx" is in German "verhexen" or "mit einem Fluch belegen". A "jinx" (noun) is in German either "Fluch einer Hexe" or "die von einer Hexe verfluchte Person". Non of this meanings has any similarities to German "Stich". I don't know an english equivalent to "Stich". "Einen Stich machen" means to win a round at a card game. Nov 9, 2013 at 16:27
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@HubertSchölnast But the
jinxas used in the question has nothing to do withverhexeneither.– ToschoNov 10, 2013 at 13:34