Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for March 26, 2019

Quick! Put a horseshoe above your door!

Karma, Rat.

It’ll get you every time.

Sometimes it’s hard to find real wood to knock on.

oh, this is going to go terrible for Rat

Is this the first time we’ve seen fear on Rat’s face ?

Jinx, you forgot, he spilled salt while walking under the ladder, slipped and stepped on a crack; then crossed the path of the neighborhood black cat when he forced its owner to walk on the opposite side of a pole.

Since it looks like the rest of Rat’s life is now basically roadkill, what has he got to lose by bashing this Jinxie upside the head with his baseball bat ?

It’s unusual to see Rat this distressed!

It’s my MESSED UP life. Deal with it.

The JOKER is WILD.

Go away you fool. I don’t believe in that s__t. Pig, on the other hand…..

How could you forget the knock on wood part, Rat? That’s essential!

My mother made that rule, that’s who.

You can’t predict something good happening, without knocking on wood,

or mention a possible bad outcome without saying “God forbid.”

“If John, God forbid (touching open hand to heart) loses his job, at least he’ll get unemployment, knock wood (knocking knuckles on something wood).”

Do it for my Mom.

one word: HUBRIS

Now they tell me…….. Nuts.

Wouldn’t you like to know…

Story of my life.

Of course the Italian Jinxies will take a little payment to “protect” you from any “accidents”.

I like the idea of “Jinxies”!

The college of “hard knocks”!

Rat thought his life was messed up before the Jinxies showed up.

Around here in the “Furniture Capital of the Universe,” we say, “knock on veneer.” Or we find a tree.

So,if a tree falls in the forest…“watch out Rat!”

’twould explain a lot

Rat also failed to say ‘Simon says’.

The Karma department. They are down the hall from the Jinxies next to the evil eye department.

I liked the Maxwell’s Demons theory. They are the ones who would show up whenever something happened, like a piece of bread falling to the floor. The little demons gather from the ether and make sure the peanut buttered side is always facing down.

Who? A “friend” of yours. Heh, heh, heh…

Murphy will never limit himself by publishing the rule book. What we don’t know can be a real downer when it hits out of the blue with no warning.

When wood is unavailable, knocking on my block-head usually works for me

WHAT the heck. No POTUS references to THE Jinx? What’s the matter with you haters? The “Report” got your tongue? HA HA HA!

My favorite “Jinxie” is, “Nothing can stop me now!”

In the Arab world, you must say “Inshallah” (if it pleases God). If you don’t somebody else will. This can make scheduling difficult: “So You will meet me on Tuesday?” “Inshallah”

Thanos is coming with alia

And we all know that Mr. Jinx hates meeces to pieces.

Quick: Tap him on the shoulder and shout " It’s on you now; no takes backs!"

Their cousins are the Karmas.

I’m guessing Phillip K. Dick.

The reason we “touch wood” is the belief that the dryads who are good will protect us from the evil or at least mischievous imps who will try their best to see to it that our wishes or good luck are perverted. Dryads live in(side) trees, and even after their tree is lumber, they maintain contact with it.

—This is why I hate the Jinxies.

Rat, go get your Baseball Bat O’ Vengeance!

The Jinxies previously appeared on 12/15/15, (though shaped as rat-sized circles with spikes on their heads) with a similar threat. When rat yelled ”knock on wood “ they replied “speaking of wood, your house burns down this week”. These guys are not to be trifled with!

Jinxies, Velma!

Anyone else think those Jinxes are really slow at getting around to screwing stuff over. I mean it took them almost a full year to get a pandemic. Slackers.

Does particle board, plywood, and mdf count? It’s still wood. Well, bits of wood anyway.