jigger

¹ American  

[jig-er] / ˈdʒɪg ər /

noun

1. a person or thing that jigs.

2. Nautical.

   1. the lowermost sail set on a jiggermast.

   2. jiggermast.

   3. a light tackle, as a gun tackle.

3. any of various mechanical devices, many of which have a jerky or jolting motion.

4. Informal. some contrivance, article, or part that one cannot or does not name more precisely.

   What is that little jigger on the pistol?

5. Ceramics. a machine for forming plates or the like in a plaster mold rotating beneath a template.

6. Mining. a jig for separating ore.

7. a jig for fishing.

8. Golf. a club with an iron head intermediate between a mashie and a midiron, now rarely used.

9. Billiards, Pool. a bridge.

10. 1. a 1½-oz. (45-milliliter) measure used in cocktail recipes.

    2. a small whiskey glass holding 1½ ounces (45 milliliters).

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jigger ² American  

[jig-er] / ˈdʒɪg ər /

noun

1. Also called jigger flea.  chigoe.

2. Chiefly South Midland and Southern U.S. chigger.

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jigger ³ American  

[jig-er] / ˈdʒɪg ər /

verb (used with object)

1. to interfere with.

2. to manipulate or alter, especially in order to get something done illegally or unethically.

   to jigger company records to conceal a loss.

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jigger ¹ British  

/ ˈdʒɪɡə /

noun

1. a person or thing that jigs

2. golf an iron, now obsolete, with a thin blade, used for hitting long shots from a bare lie

3. any of a number of mechanical devices having a vibratory or jerking motion

4. a light lifting tackle used on ships

5. a small glass, esp for whisky, with a capacity of about one and a half ounces

6. a light hand- or power-propelled vehicle used on railway lines

7. engineering a type of hydraulic lift in which a hydraulic ram operates the lift through a block and tackle which increases the length of the stroke

8. a device used when setting a gill net beneath ice

9. mining another word for jig

10. nautical short for jiggermast

11. billiards another word for bridge 1

12. informal a device or thing the name of which is unknown or temporarily forgotten

13. dialect an alleyway

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jigger ² British  

/ ˈdʒɪɡə /

noun

1. other names for the chigoe

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Etymology

Origin of jigger¹

First recorded in 1665–75; of unknown origin; perhaps from jig ¹ or jig ² ( def. ) + -er ¹

Origin of jigger²

First recorded in 1750–60; variant of chigger

Origin of jigger³

First recorded in 1865–70; jig ² + -er ⁶

Example Sentences

After he ripped his drive over the Old Course Hotel sign and into the 17th fairway, hotel guests and spectators lined up against the wall in front of the hotel and the Jigger Inn.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 15, 2022

When Ivie got back to the ranch, he told Jigger — a palomino horse — what had happened.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2019

Ramasar had been a major star of the company who also won accolades for his performance as Jigger Craigin in the Broadway revival of “Carousel.”

From Washington Times • Sep. 16, 2018

As Jigger Craigin, Billy’s pal and nemesis, the ballet dancer Amar Ramasar makes an electric Broadway debut.

From New York Times • Apr. 12, 2018

Butsey rose wrathfully, but the answer he intended could not be made, for, reckoning on his host, he was already in his third frankfurter, and there was the Jigger Shop yet to be visited.

From The Varmint by Gruger, Frederic Rodrigo