jink

Meanings

1. A quick evasive turn.
2. A jack or knucklebone used in the game of jinks (possibly derived from the Scottish game high jinks).

1. To make a quick evasive turn or turns to confuse pursuers, incoming fire, etc.
2. To cause a vehicle to make a quick evasive turn.
3. In the games of spoilfive and forty-five, to win the game by taking all five tricks; also, to attempt to win all five tricks, losing what has been already won if unsuccessful.
4. To elude; to cheat.

Etymology

Origin uncertain. The Oxford English Dictionary suggests onomatopoeia for motion. Attested since the 18th century. Compare unnasalised dialectal jick (“to avoid with a sudden jerk of the body, elude”).