Link Centre Dictionary

jig

US/d͡ʒɪɡ/ uncommon dated obsolete slang us
verb (1) noun (2)

verb

1.

dance a quick dance with leaping and kicking motions

noun

1.

music in three-four time for dancing a jig

2.

any of various old rustic dances involving kicking and leaping

Origin

Unknown. Derivation from Middle English gyge (“fiddle”), from Old French gigue (“a fiddle”) has been proposed, but the connection and sense development are obscure. The sense “a type of dance” of modern French gigue is borrowed from English.

Phrases

  • dance the hempen jig
  • dance the Tyburn jig
  • drill jig
  • hangman's jig
  • in jig time
  • jig borer
  • jig saw
  • jig show
  • jig up

Related words

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.