{"id":4547,"date":"2022-06-29T16:58:07","date_gmt":"2022-06-29T16:58:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=4547"},"modified":"2022-06-29T16:58:07","modified_gmt":"2022-06-29T16:58:07","slug":"bad-juju-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/bad-juju-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Bad Juju \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you looking for a way to tell someone not to jinx you or curse you? Maybe someone\u2019s giving you a bad vibe, or they have such bad luck that you don\u2019t want anything to do with them? If that\u2019s the case, you could say you want nothing to do with their \u201cbad juju<\/em>.\u201d This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n

Meaning<\/h2>\n

The expression \u201cbad juju<\/em>\u201d means \u201cbad luck<\/em>\u201d or \u201cvoodoo<\/em>.\u201d It\u2019s a way of describing negative energy and mysticism. Bad juju implies that a person or object is possessed or battling with an evil spirit.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bad juju can also refer to people emitting a \u201cbad vibe<\/em>\u201d or people that always seem to have calamities happen around them.<\/p>\n

Juju is an African belief system and something of a religious concept. You can use the phrase \u201cbad juju<\/em>\u201d\u00a0 to describe unfortunate events or feelings of uncertainty you get from other people.<\/p>\n

If someone has \u201cbad juju<\/em>\u201d around them, it means that you want to steer clear of contact with that individual.<\/p>\n

Example Usage<\/h2>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t put that bad juju on me. I want nothing to do with that. Just leave me alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like that house has some bad juju going on with it. We walked past it the other day, and I just get a really creepy vibe from that place.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMike is in a bad spot right now. He reckons someone put some bad juju on him, ruining his life. It\u2019s probably all in his head, though.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI met this spiritual healer the other day, and we got into an argument. Since that day, nothing has been going right for me. It\u2019s like she put some bad juju on me or something.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou need to clear your mind and block out the bad juju from your life. You\u2019re in control over how your mind behaves, not some mystical force.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJim started wearing garlic cloves around his neck to ward off the bad juju. All it does is make him smell terrible. That guy needs to take a bath.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re always thinking negative thoughts, you\u2019re sending bad juju and negative energy out into the world, which will become your life experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Origin<\/h2>\n

The expression \u201cbad juju\u201d originates from the practice of \u201cjuju\u201d or \u201cvoodoo\u201d in West African nations like Benin, Nigeria, Ghana, and Togo. Juju is neither good nor evil, but it has good and evil sects that practitioners can use for nefarious deeds or constructive use in their lives.<\/p>\n

Language experts believe the word \u201cjuju\u201d has French roots, originating from the term \u201cjoujou,\u201d meaning \u201cplaything.\u201d However, some experts believe it comes from the Hausa language, meaning \u201cEvil spirit\u201d or \u201cfetish.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since West African nations are largely French-speaking, it would make sense that this is the true origin of the phrase.<\/p>\n

There is no information on when the phrase started appearing in English. However, some experts think the saying was around as early as the late 1960s.<\/p>\n