jigger

¹

[jig-er]

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).

jigger

²

[jig-er]

noun

1. Also called jigger flea. chigoe.

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

jigger

³

[jig-er]

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.

jigger

¹

/ 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

jigger

²

/ ˈdʒɪɡə /

noun

1. other names for the chigoe

Word History and Origins

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

All 29 of the men on the Chinese jigger were rescued from the water that day.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

At the very least, a cocktail shaker or mixing glass with a bar spoon, an ice bucket filled with ice, a jigger and a corkscrew.

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De Jaen jiggers a handle on top of the gray box, which tilts the glass to and fro.

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In October 2015, for example, the Chinese crew on a squid jigger called the Ningtai 89 went on strike after the ship owner tried to pay lower wages than he originally promised.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

I think her team wouldn’t let her shoot unless they had a key light on her, so they had to jigger this key light.

Read more on Los Angeles Times