grig

[ grig ]

/ grɪg /

noun Northern British Dialect.

a cricket or grasshopper.

a small or young eel.

a lively person.

Nearby words

Origin of grig

1350–1400; Middle English grig, grege; origin uncertain

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for grig

When I have grown more accustomed to being the lucky dog, I shall commence cockahooping, and become merry as a grig.
Baboo Jabberjee, B.A.|F. Anstey
Still the original may have been "as merry as a grig," the grig or young eel being so lively and vivacious.
The Shakespeare-Expositor: An Aid to the Perfect Understanding of Shakespeare's Plays|Thomas Keightley
Mr. Mooney was so absent, that when the old gentleman said to him, “Shake hands with Mr. Grig,” he put out his leg.
The Lamplighter|Charles Dickens
Hard is her heart as flint or stone,She laughs to see me pale; And merry as a grig is grown,And brisk as bottled ale.
The Book of Humorous Verse|Various

My dear Grig, you'll get rheumatism, and spoil that nice suit; the grass comes off so terribly!
The Country House|John Galsworthy

British Dictionary definitions for grig

grig

/ (ɡrɪɡ) /

noun dialect

a lively person

a short-legged hen

a young eel

Word Origin for grig

C14: dwarf, perhaps of Scandinavian origin; compare Swedish krik a little creature

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012