jig

[ jig ]

/ dʒɪg /

Save This Word!

noun

Machinery. a plate, box, or open frame for holding work and for guiding a machine tool to the work, used especially for locating and spacing drilled holes; fixture.

Angling. any of several devices or lures, especially a hook or gang of hooks weighted with metal and dressed with hair, feathers, etc., for jerking up and down in or drawing through the water to attract fish.

Mining. an apparatus for washing coal or separating ore from gangue by shaking and washing.

a cloth-dyeing machine in which the material, guided by rollers, is passed at full width through a dye solution in an open vat.

verb (used with object), jigged, jig·ging.

to treat, cut, produce, etc., with a jig.

verb (used without object), jigged, jig·ging.

to use a jig.

to fish with a jig.

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of jig

First recorded in 1855–60; probably akin to jig², in the sense “jerk to and fro”; origin and interrelationship of these words uncertain

Words nearby jig

JICTAR, Jidda, Jiddah, jiffy, Jiffy bag, jig, jigaboo, Jigawa, jig back, jigger, jiggered

Other definitions for jig (2 of 4)

jig²

[ jig ]

/ dʒɪg /

noun

a rapid, lively, springy, irregular dance for one or more persons, usually in triple meter.

a piece of music for or in the rhythm of such a dance.

Obsolete. prank; trick.

verb (used with object), jigged, jig·ging.

to dance (a jig or any lively dance).

to sing or play in the time or rhythm of a jig: to jig a tune.

to move with a jerky or bobbing motion; jerk up and down or to and fro.

verb (used without object), jigged, jig·ging.

to dance or play a jig.

to move with a quick, jerky motion; hop; bob.

Origin of jig

First recorded in 1550–60; in earliest sense “kind of dance”; further origin uncertain; perhaps from Middle French giguer “to frolic, gambol,” possibly from an unattested West Germanic verb

OTHER WORDS FROM jig

jiglike, jiggish, adjective

Other definitions for jig (3 of 4)

jig³

[ jig ]

/ dʒɪg /

noun

(formerly used in communications to represent the letter J.)

Other definitions for jig (4 of 4)

jig⁴

[ jig ]

/ dʒɪg /

noun Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive.

a contemptuous term used to refer to a Black person.

Origin of jig

⁴

First recorded in 1920–25, Americanism; of uncertain origin; cf. jigaboo

How to use jig in a sentence

Some supposedly "Christian" organizations have been running an interesting game for years now--but in 2014, I think the jig is up.
Hopes for Religion in 2014 Include Tolerance, More Women, Less Politics|Joshua DuBois|December 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He did not take a step—do a jig—without calculating the odds.
Mandela: The Last Good Man|Mark Gevisser|December 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The Iraqi could barely repress his glee, and did a kind of jig as he walked across the room.
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s Lasting Legacy|Christopher Dickey|April 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
WIN: Washing Machine Everyone can do a Harlem Style jig, even the non-humans.
Harlem Shake: The Best and Worst of the Viral Dance Routine|Anna Klassen|February 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST

In the end, the case was referred to the Nassau County District Attorney, and the jig was up.
SAT’s Legacy of Cheating|Steve Cohen|September 28, 2011|DAILY BEAST
I wanted her to be there when its full import broke upon him; then the three of us, Mary and Tim and I, would do a wild jig.
The Soldier of the Valley|Nelson Lloyd
Everybody was laughing and singing to the tune of an Irish jig that Norah's father was playing on the bagpipes.
Our Little Irish Cousin|Mary Hazelton Wade
Nor did I release her until Whistling Jim, coming up and realizing the situation, celebrated it by whistling a jig.
A Little Union Scout|Joel Chandler Harris
And who should he spy in a jig, With a meal-man so tall and so big,But his own darling Kate, so gay and so nate?
The Book of Humorous Verse|Various
From what he hears, or knows, he gathers, that the jig is up.
The Daffodil Mystery|Edgar Wallace

British Dictionary definitions for jig

jig

/ (dʒɪɡ) /

noun

any of several old rustic kicking and leaping dances

a piece of music composed for or in the rhythm of this dance, usually in six-eight time

a mechanical device designed to hold and locate a component during machining and to guide the cutting tool

angling any of various spinning lures that wobble when drawn through the water

Also called: jigger mining a device for separating ore or coal from waste material by agitation in water

obsolete a joke or prank

verb jigs, jigging or jigged

to dance (a jig)

to jerk or cause to jerk up and down rapidly

(often foll by up) to fit or be fitted in a jig

(tr) to drill or cut (a workpiece) in a jig

mining to separate ore or coal from waste material using a jig

(intr) to produce or manufacture a jig

Australian slang to play truant from school

Word Origin for jig

C16 (originally: a dance or the music for it; applied to various modern devices because of the verbal sense: to jerk up and down rapidly): of unknown origin

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

jig

Origin of jig

Words nearby jig

Other definitions for jig (2 of 4)

Origin of jig

OTHER WORDS FROM jig

Other definitions for jig (3 of 4)

Other definitions for jig (4 of 4)

Origin of jig

Words related to jig

How to use jig in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for jig

Word Origin for jig