jibe 
aft sail) to swing over to the other side when 
the wind is aft or on the quarter. 
II. intrans. 1. Naut., to change from one tack 
to the other without going about ; shift a fore- 
and-aft sail from one side to the other when 
the wind is aft or on the quarter. 
Augustus . . . stood up on the centre-board, to the im- 
minent danger of his little shins' more intimate acquain- 
tance with a jibing boom. 
Fitz-Hugh Ludlow, Little Brother, m. 
2. To agree ; be in harmony or accord; work to- 
gether: as, the two plans did not seem to jibe. 
[Colloq., U. S.] 
jibe 2 , v. and . See gibe 1 . 
jibe 3 (jib), v. i. A less common form of ji5 2 . 
liber, . See giber. 
jib-frame (jib'fram), . In a marine engine, the 
upright frame at the sides by which the cylin- 
der, condenser, and framing are connected. 
jib-hank (jib'hank), n. One of a number of 
pieces of wood or iron, shaped nearly like a 
ring, which slide on the jib-stay and serve to 
attach the head of the jib to the stay. 
jib-head (jib'hed), . Naut., an iron fastened 
to the head of a jib. It is used when, the jib having 
been stretched too much by use, it is necessary to shorten 
it by cutting off the point. 
jibingly, adv. See gibingly. 
Jlblett, n. An obsolete form of giblet. Brockett. 
Oh that's well : come, I'll help you : 
Have you nojMett now? 
Fletcher (and another), Love's Pilgrimage, i. 1. 
jiblet-check, jiblet-cheek, . See giblet-check. 
jib-lot (jib'lot), . A triangular lot or plot of 
ground, likened in shape to a vessel's jib. [New 
Bng.l 
jib-netting (jib'nef'ing), n. Naut., a triangu- 
lar-shaped netting rigged under the jib-boom 
to prevent men from falling overboard while 
loosing or furling the jib. 
3232 
St. A lively song; a catch. 
If neere vn to the Eleusinian Spring, 
Som sport-full fig som wanton Shepheard sing, 
The Kavisht Fountaine falls to daunce and bound. 
Sylvester, tr. of Du Bartas's Weeks, i. 3. 
It would have made your ladyship have sung nothing 
but merry jigs for a twelvemonth after. 
Middleton, Father Uubbard's Tales. 
4f. A kind of entertainment in rime, partly 
sung and partly recited. 
Farce [F.], a (fond and dissolute) play, comedy, or en- 
terlude ; also the jig [jyg, ed. 1611] at the end of the enter- 
jiggered 
drill with a spring-pole. 8f. To trick; cheat; 
impose upon ; bamboozle. 
Do not think the gloss 
Of smooth evasion, by your cunning jests 
And coinage of your politician's brain, 
Shall jig me off. Ford, Love's Sacrifice, iii. 3. 
An 
(that I know) had had but the pennings 
o' this matter, he would ha' made you such a jvj-ajogge i 
the boothes, you should ha' thought an earthquake had 
beene i' the fayre. B. Jonson, Bartholomew Fair, Ind. 
iud'cr,"whereln"some'p'rett'y knavery is acted. Cotijraix. jjg amaree (jig"a-ma-re'), n. [_<jig, with an ar- 
Ajig shall be clapped at, and every rhyme bitrary addition.] "Something new, strange, or 
unknown ; a jiggumbob or thingumbob. [Prov. 
and slang.] 
jig-Clog (jig'klog), . 
cing. 
aid of the In n, Prol. 
danced, and was always accompanied by a tabor and pipe. 
HaUiwell. 
5. A piece of sport ; a prank ; a trick. 
What dost think of 
This innovation ? is 't not a fine jiyg > 
A precious cunning in the late Protector, 
To shuffle a new prince into the state. 
Shirley (and Fletcherl), Coronation, v. 1. 
They will play ye anither jigg, 
For they will out at the big rig. 
Fray of Suport (Child's Ballads, VI. 119). 
6. A small, light mechanical contrivance: 
same as jigger^, 2: used especially in composi- 
tion : as, a drilling^i<7i shaving-.//;/, etc. Specifi- 
cally (o) A jigging-machine. (o) In coal-mining, a self- 
acting incline worked by a drum, or by wheels, with hemp 
or wire ropes. Also called jinny. [Eng.] (c) A fish-hook 
or gang of hooks of which the shank is loaded with lead, 
platinum, or other bright metal, used in jigging for cod, 
mackerel, etc. 
A jig is a bit of lead armed with hooks radially arranged, 
which is let down from the boat and kept constantly mov- 
ing up and down. This in some way exerts a fatal fasci- 
nating power upon the squid, which seizes it. 
Stand. Nat. Hist., I. 376. 
Babbitting Jig. See babbitting. Haymaker's Jig, a 
A clog made for jig-dan- 
ii r, n' tfh Mib'o iiir A small three cornered kind of co^trFdance.-The Jig" is up.'the game is up ; 
J1D-0 -J1D (Jib o-jib), n. A small turee-cornere ,,. , g a] , ov(jr (with any one) [LI 8 _, 
etimes set outside of and above the :j g Q ig j . pret . and pp- jigged, ppr. jigging. 
[< OF. giguer = Pr. gigar, play the fiddle (cf. 
MLG. gigeln = MHG. gigen, Gr.geigen = Icel. gig- 
ja, play the fiddle) ; from the noun. No orig. 
verb has been established. The E. use of jig 
in the second sense, though easily explained by 
reference to the quick motion implied in the 
other senses, may be due in part to association 
with jog. Cf. jigjog, jicTcajog.] I. intrans. 1. 
To play or dance a jig. 
I did not hear of any amusements popular among . . . 
the Irishmen except dancing parties at one another's 
houses, where they jig and reel furiously. 
Mayhem, London Labour and London Poor, I. 115. 
I found myself at times following the dance of the Mer- 
ry Men as it were a tune upon & jigging instrument. 
R. L. Stevenson, Merry Men. 
2. To move skippingly or friskily; hop about; 
act or vibrate in a lively manner. Compare 
jigget. 
You jig. you amble, and you lisp. 
SAofr., Hamlet, iii. 1,149. 
The trembling fowl that hear the jiijging hawk-bells ring, 
And find it is too late to trust them to their wing, 
Lie flat upon the flood. Drayton, Polyolbion, xx. 219. 
sail sometimes 
other head-sails. 
jib-sheet (jib'shet), n. One of the ropes at- 
tached at one end to the clue of the jib and at 
the other to the bows of the vessel, to trim the 
sail To flow a Jib-sheet. Seeyiowi. 
jib-Stay (jib'sta), . 1. The stay on which the 
jib is set. 2. In a marine steam-engine, a part 
of the stay-frame. 
jib-topsail (jib'top'sal or -si), . A light three- 
cornered sail set in yachts on the foretopmast- 
stay. 
jickajogt (jik'a-jog), n. Same asjigjog. 
rid, . See jrirf 2 . 
Jidda gum. See g\mft. 
jifft (jif), . i- [Origin obscure.] To make a jest 
or laughing-stock of one. Bailey. 
jiffy (jif 'i),".; pi. jiffies (-iz). [ Also giffy, giffin ; 
of dial, origin.] A moment; an instant: as, I 
shall be with you in a. jiffy. [Colloq.] 
" And oh ! " he exclaim'd, "let them go catch my skiff, I 
'11 be home in a twinkling and back in si Jiffy." 
Barham, Ingoldsby Legends, II. 40. 
"Guess you better wait half aji/y," cried Cyrus. 
J. T. Trowbridge, Coupon Bonds, p. 191. 
jig (jig), n. [An assimilated form of the older 
gig (with hard initial g), < ME. gigge (see gig 1 ) ; 
< OF. gigue, gige, a fiddle, also a kind of dance, 
mod. F. gigue, a lively tune or dance, = Pr. 
gigua, guiga, a fiddle, = OSp. giga, a fiddle, Sp. 
Pg. giga, a lively tune or dance, = Olt. giga, a fid- 
dle, = It. giga, a lively tune or dance, <OD. *gige, 
MD. ghighf = MLG. *gige, gigel = MHG. gige, 
G. geige = Icel. gigja = Sw. giga, a fiddle (obs.), 
also a jews'-harp, = Dan. gige, a fiddle, also 
(after E. or F.) a lively dance. The earliest 
sense, 'a fiddle,' is involved in jig, v., play the 
fiddle : see jig, v., and gigl, n. As with other 
familiar words of homely aspect, the senses are 
more or less involved and inconstant. In part 
prob. due to jig, v., as a var. of jog : see jig, v.~\ 
1. A rapid, irregular dance for one or more 
persons, performed in different ways in different 
countries ; a modification of the country-dance. 
George, I will have him dance fading ; fading is a fine 
Jiff, I'll assure you. 
Beau, and Fl., Knight of Burning Pestle, iv. 1. 
All the swains that there abide 
With jigs and rural dance resort. 
Milton, Comus, L 952. 
2. Music for such a dance or in its rhythm, 
which is usually triple and rapid: often used 
in the eighteenth century as a component of a 
suite. 
They heard the signs of an Irish orgy a rattling jiy, 
pliiyed and danced with the inspiriting interjections of 
that frolicsome nation. C. lieade, Peg Woffington, vii. 
jigger 1 (jig'er), n. |X jig, v., + -er 1 .] 1. One 
who or that which jigs. 2. A small, light, or 
light-running mechanical contrivance or uten- 
sil, causing or having when in use a rapid jerky 
motion; also, by extension, any subordinate 
mechanical contrivance or convenience to which 
no more definite name is attached, specifically 
(o) A jig or jigging-machine. See extract, andji^, v. t., 4. 
The machines best adapted for this purpose (ore-con- 
centration) are the jiggers or jigs. These are sieves sup- 
porting the ore, which is raised and allowed to fall at 
rapid intervals by a current of water from below, and in 
this manner one can realize the theoretical conditions of 
the fall in more or less deep water. The jig is par ex- 
cellence the machine for dressing, universally employed 
from the most ancient times because it was the simplest 
and most convenient, and its use has continued to our 
day, with the help of successive modifications, which have 
converted it into a machine of remarkable precision. 
Cotton, Lectures on Mining (tr. by Le Neve Foster 
[and Galloway), III. 76. 
(6) A machine for hardening and condensing felt by re- 
peated quick blows with rods, by the action of vibrating 
platens, or by intermittent rolling action on the material 
while warm and wet. (c) A small roller used in graining 
leather. 
A grain or polish is given to the leather, either by board- 
ing or working under small pendulum rollers, called jig- 
gers, which are engraved either with grooves or with an 
imitation of grain. Workshop Receipts, 2d ser., p. 374. 
(d) A templet or profile for giving the form to a pottery 
vessel as it revolves upon the wheel. () A potters wheel 
when used for simple and rapidly made objects, as plain 
cylindrical vessels and the like. (/) A coopers' draw- 
knife, (g) A warehouse-crane, (h) In coal-mining, a cou- 
pling-hook for connecting the cars or trams on an incline. 
[Leicestershire, Eng.] (t) In billiards, a rest for the cue 
in making a difficult or awkward shot ; a bridge. (J) A 
sort of small spanker-sail, set on a jigger-mast in the 
stern of a canoe or other small craft, especially in Chesa- 
peake Bay. (k) A door. [Slang.] (I) A small tackle com- 
posed of a double and single block and a fall, used about 
the decks of a ship for various purposes. 
3. A sloop-rigged boat at one time used very ex- 
tensively by the fishermen about Cape Cod, but 
superseded about 1829 by the dory. A jigger usu- 
ally carried four persons. The name belongs to the Bay of 
Fundy and vicinity, and is sometimes used on the coast of 
New England. 
4. A small street-railway car, drawn by one 
horse, and usually without a conductor, the 
driver giving change and the fare being de- 
posited in a box. [U. S.] 5. A machine now 
generally used in the produce exchanges of 
American cities, which exhibits on a conspicu- 
3. To use a jig in fishing; fish with a jig: as, ous dial the prices at which sales are made as 
+ 1-1 ii/ ff\i* WlnofieVi J.T. _ . _j_jL_ ml T J .,,;,,* 
to Jig for bluefish. 
II. trans. 1. To sing in jig time; sing as a 
Jig- 
Jig off a tune at the tongue's end, canary to it with 
your feet, humour it with turning up your eyelids. 
Shak., L. L. L., iii. 1, 11. 
2. To jerk, jolt, or shake; cause to move by 
jogs or jolts. 
When the carriage [of a sawmill] is to Rejigged back, the 
lever manipulating the rock shaft is moved from the saw. 
Sci. Amer., N. S., LIX. 403. 
3. To produce an up-and-down motion in. 4. 
In metal., to separate the heavier metalliferous 
portion of (the mingled ore and rock or vein- 
stone obtained in mining) from the lighter or 
earthy portions, by means of a jig or jigging- 
machine. The jig was originally a box with a metallic 
bottom perforated with holes. In this the ore was placed, 
and the whole was moved rapidly up and down by hand 
in water, thus causing the material in the box to arrange 
the transactions occur. The hand or pointer 
is controlled by electric mechanism connect- 
ed with a keyboard. 6. A drink of whisky. 
[Slang.] In-and-OUt Jigger (naut.), same as boom- 
jigger. 
jigger 1 (jig'er), r. t. [< jigger^, n.] To jerk; 
shake. [Colloq.] 
Few anglers have failed to experience the anxiety which 
ensues when a fish remains on the top of the water, shak- 
ing his head, and many is the fish who has jiggered him- 
self free by this method. Quarterly Rev., CXXVI. 350. 
jigger 2 (jig'er), . [An E. accom. of chigoe, 
the native name: see chigoe.'} 1. The pene- 
trating flea of the West Indies : same as chigoe. 
Numbers are crippled by the jiggers, which scarcely ever 
in our colonies affect any but the negroes. 
Southey, Letters (1810), II. 201. 
2. In the United States, a name of sundry har- 
vest-mites or harvest-ticks which, though nor- 
mally plant-feeders, fasten to the skin of hu- 
man beings and cause great irritation. These 
acarids belong to an entirely different class from the 
chigoe, or jigger properly so called, and lay no eggs in 
the wounds they make. The so-called Leptus americanut 
and L. irritans are two species to which the name is given. 
See cut under harvest-tick. 
jiggered 1 (jig'erd), . [< jigger? + -erf 2 .] Af- 
itself in layers according to its specific gravity. Jigging 
is now usually done by more complicated machinery, act- 
ing continuously ; but the principle remains the same. 
The essential feature of a jigging-machine is the admission 
of the water from below ; in the buddle the water comes in 
contact with the ore from above. 
5. To catch (a fish) by jerking a hook into its 
body. - 
Keep the line constantly in motion, and half the time "'fecfed or infested with "the "jigger or chigoe, 
you will jig them in the belly, tail, or side, as the finny jiggered- (iift'erd), a. [A meaningless random 
mass moves over the hook. Sportsman's Gazetteer, p. 243. substitute for a profane oath. Such random 
6. In felting, to harden and condense by re- substitutes are very common in colloq. use, 
peated blows from rods. 7. In well-boring, to any vague form of English semblance being 
