jigger

[ jig-er ]

/ ˈdʒɪg ər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR jigger ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person or thing that jigs.

Nautical.

the lowermost sail set on a jiggermast.
jiggermast.
a light tackle, as a gun tackle.

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

Informal. some contrivance, article, or part that one cannot or does not name more precisely: What is that little jigger on the pistol?

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

Mining. a jig for separating ore.

a jig for fishing.

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

Billiards, Pool. a bridge.

a 1½-oz. (45-ml) measure used in cocktail recipes.
a small whiskey glass holding 1½ ounces (45 ml).

Nearby words

jig, jig back, jig is up, jigaboo, jigawa, jigger, jiggered, jiggermast, jiggers, jiggery-pokery, jiggle

Origin of jigger

First recorded in 1665–75; jig¹ + -er¹

Definition for jigger (2 of 3)

jigger

[ jig-er ]

/ ˈdʒɪg ər /

noun

Also called jigger flea. chigoe.

Chiefly South Midland and Southern U.S. chigger.

Origin of jigger

First recorded in 1750–60; variant of chigger

Definition for jigger (3 of 3)

jigger

[ jig-er ]

/ ˈdʒɪg ər /

verb (used with object)

to interfere with.

to manipulate or alter, especially in order to get something done illegally or unethically: to jigger company records to conceal a loss.

Origin of jigger

1865–70; jig² (in verbal sense) + -er⁶

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

Examples from the Web for jigger

Serve it as is from the pot for kids; add a jigger of rum, brandy, or Calvados for the grownups.
The Perfect Holiday Cocktail|Cookstr.com|December 15, 2009|DAILY BEAST
I mean, if I was trying to jigger into—well, I guess this is my house now, so [ laughter] it probably wouldn't happen.
Obama's Insecure Slip|Tina Brown|July 27, 2009|DAILY BEAST
“I mean, if I was trying to jigger into—well, I guess this is my house now, so it probably wouldn't happen,” he explained.
Obama's New Enemies|Richard Wolffe|July 23, 2009|DAILY BEAST
There was one jigger who seemed to have learned to do nothing but boil.
The Marvelous Exploits of Paul Bunyan|W. B. Laughead

The moveable adjuncts to the table are cues, balls, butt, and a rest or jigger.
Every Boy's Book: A Complete Encyclopdia of Sports and Amusements|Various
This has also what looks like a mizzen, but it is fixed on to the rudder and is known as a "jigger."
Golden Days for Boys and Girls, Vol. XIII, Nov. 28, 1891|Various
And these are the kind of fellows, too, who jigger our ridin' on this railroad.
Tramping with Tramps|Josiah Flynt
It was in respect to the jigger that the craft differed from a sloop-rigged yacht or boat.
Fishing With The Fly|Charles F. Orvis and Others

British Dictionary definitions for jigger (1 of 2)

jigger

/ (ˈdʒɪɡə) /

noun

a person or thing that jigs

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

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

a light lifting tackle used on ships

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

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

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

Canadian a device used when setting a gill net beneath ice

mining another word for jig (def. 5)

nautical short for jiggermast

billiards another word for bridge 1 (def. 10)

US and Canadian informal a device or thing the name of which is unknown or temporarily forgotten

Liverpool dialect an alleyway

British Dictionary definitions for jigger (2 of 2)

jigger

jigger flea

/ (ˈdʒɪɡə) /

noun

other names for the chigoe (def. 1)

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

Word Origin and History for jigger

jigger

"1.5-ounce shot glass," 1836, American English, in early use also of the drink itself, from jigger "illicit distillery" (1824), of unknown origin; or else perhaps from jigger, a 1756 alteration of chigger "tiny mite or flea." As a name for various appliances, the word is attested by 1825, from jig.

Medicine definitions for jigger

jigger

[ jĭg′ər ]

n.

chigger

chigoe

jigger

noun

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of jigger

Definition for jigger (2 of 3)

jigger

noun

Origin of jigger

Definition for jigger (3 of 3)

jigger

verb (used with object)

Origin of jigger

Examples from the Web for jigger

British Dictionary definitions for jigger (1 of 2)

jigger

noun

British Dictionary definitions for jigger (2 of 2)

jigger

jigger flea

noun

Word Origin and History for jigger

jigger

Medicine definitions for jigger

jigger

n.