Jinkies! Zoinks! Jeepers!<\/p>\n
These words may look like nonsense, but if you’ve ever watched a certain children’s cartoon that features a talking dog and his friends solving mysteries, they’ll be very familiar.<\/p>\n
Where do words like “jinkies” come from, though? And<\/a> what do they mean?<\/p>\n Let’s find out.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The answer is that “jinkies” is the catch-phrase of Velma, a teenage investigator from Hanna Barbara’s Scooby-Doo franchise of cartoons and movies. It is similar in meaning to “oh my” or “wow” and can be thought of as an expression of surprise. Although the word is almost exclusively associated with Scooby-Doo today, it dates at least as far back as the 1930s.<\/strong><\/p>\n Put simply, the word “jinkies” is an expression of surprise similar to “wow<\/strong>“<\/a> or “gosh.”<\/p>\n The expression<\/a><\/strong> is solidly entrenched in American popular culture due to its regular use by Velma, one of the main characters in the Scooby-Doo cartoons about a group of teenage detectives and their talking dog who travel around solving seemingly supernatural crimes.<\/p>\n At least once an episode, Velma will say “Jinkies!”<\/p>\n Since she always says it when something surprising happens, the meaning is clear from context as an expression of mild surprise.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n First off, it’s important to be aware that people will likely think you’re joking if you go around saying “jinkies.”<\/p>\n With that in mind, “jinkies” is as easy to use as any other expression of surprise. If you’re shocked by something, just say it.<\/p>\n Although it’s typically used alone, “jinkies” can also be attached to a sentence as an introductory phrase<\/a><\/strong>. In this case, add a comma after the word and put the rest of the sentence.<\/p>\n Perhaps the only thing that says Scooby-Doo more than “jinkies” is when the ghost is revealed to be somebody with an agenda. In this case, perhaps the perpetrator thinks the mayor isn’t paying enough.<\/p>\n In this sentence, “jinkies” is used as an introductory phrase and followed by a comma. “Gang” is another heavily-used word in the original show.<\/p>\n In this dialogue, the second speaker uses “jinkies” to show that they’re surprised by the first speaker’s statement.<\/p>\n Today<\/a><\/strong>, if you’re hearing someone say “jinkies” they are almost certainly referencing Scooby-Doo. It turns out this word is significantly older than Scooby and friends, however.<\/p>\nWhat does “jinkies” mean?<\/h2>\n
<\/h2>\n
Velma’s Catchphrase<\/h2>\n
How to use “jinkies” in a sentence<\/h2>\n
Examples<\/h3>\n
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The first recorded use of “jinkies”<\/h2>\n