or gigg, gigge, subs. (old).—1. A wanton; a mistress; a flighty girl. Cf., GIGLET.
1373. CHAUCER, The House of Fame, iii. 851. This house was also ful of GYGGES.
c. 1696. B. E., A New Dictionary of the Canting Crew. A young GIG, a wanton lass.
1780. BURNEY, Diary, etc., (1876), i., 286. Charlotte L—— called, and the little GIG told … of the domestic life she led in her family, and made them all ridiculous, without meaning to make herself so.
1825. PLANCHÉ, Success, in Extravaganzas (1879) I., 26. He! he! What a GIG you look in that hat and feather!
1832. MACAULAY in Life, by TREVELYAN (1884), ch. v., p. 188.
| Be you Foxes, be you Pitts, | |
| You must write to silly chits, | |
| Be you Tories, be you Whigs, | |
| You must write to sad young GIGS. |
2. (old).—A jest; a piece of nonsense; anything fanciful or frivolous. Hence, generally, in contempt.
1590. NASHE, Pasquils Apologie, in wks. Vol. I., p. 234. A right cutte of the worde, withoute GIGGES or fancies of haereticall and newe opinions.
1793. BUTT, Poems.
| Those fograms, quizzes, treats, and bores, and GIGS, | |
| Were held in some account with ancient prigs. |
1856. WHYTE-MELVILLE, Kate Coventry, ch. xiv. Such a set of GIGS, my dear, I never saw in my life; large underbred horses, and not a good-looking man amongst them.
3. (old).—The nose. For synonyms, see CONK. TO SNITCHELL THE GIG = to pull the nose. GRUNTER’S GIG = a hog’s snout.
c. 1696. B. E., A New Dictionary of the Canting Crew, s.v.
1785. GROSE, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, s.v.
4. (venery).—The female pudendum. For synonyms, see MONOSYLLABLE. [Possibly from GIG = a top, i.e., a toy; possibly, too, from It. giga = a FIDDLE (q.v.); but see post sense 8.]
c. 1696. B. E., A New Dictionary of the Canting Crew, s.v.
1785. GROSE, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, s.v.
5. (old: now recognised).—A light two-wheeled vehicle drawn by one horse.
1785. GROSE, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, s.v.
1809. WINDHAM, Speech, 25 May. Let the former riders in GIGS and whiskeys, and one horsed carriages continue to ride in them.
6. (old).—A door. See GIGGER.
1785. GROSE, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. It is all bob, now let’s dub the GIGG of the case: now the coast is clear, let us break open the door of the house.
7. (Eton).—A fool; an overdressed person. For synonyms, see SAMMY-SOFT.
1797. COLMAN, The Heir at Law, iv., 3. Dick.—What a damn’d GIG you look like. Pangloss.—A GIG! umph! that’s an Eton phrase—the Westminsters call it Quiz.
1870. Athenæum, 16 April. He would now be what Eton used to call a GIG, and Westminster a Quiz.
8. (old).—Fun; a frolic; a spree. [Possibly from Fr.: gigue = a lively dance movement. Cf., gigue et jon = a Bacchanalian exclamation of sailors. In FLORIO, too, frottolare = ‘to sing GIGGES, rounds, or …. wanton verses.’] FULL OF GIG = full of laughter, ripe for mischief.
1811. MOORE, Twopenny Post-bag, Letter 3. We were all in high GIG—Roman punch and tokay travelled round, till our heads travelled just the same way.
1820. P. EGAN, Jack Randall’s Diary, p. 62.
| In search of lark, or some delicious GIG | |
| The mind delights in, when ’tis in prime twig. |
1821. W. T. MONCRIEFF, Tom and Jerry, i., 3. I hope we shall have many a bit of GIG together.
1888. BESANT, Fifty Years Ago, p. 134. A laughter-loving lass of eighteen who dearly loved a bit of GIG.
9. (old).—The mouth. For synonyms, see POTATO-TRAP.
1871. P. EGAN, Finish to Tom and Jerry, p. 175 (ed. 1872). The bit of myrtle in his GIG.
10. (old).—A farthing. Formerly GRIG (q.v.).
11. (American).—See POLICY DEALING.
Verb. (old).—To hamstring.
1785. GROSE, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, s.v. To GIGG a Smithfield hank, to hamstring an overdrove ox.
BY GIGS! intj. (old).—A mild and silly oath. See OATHS.
1551. STILL, Gammer Gurton’s Needle, iv. 1. Chad a foule turne now of late, chill tell it you BY GIGS.
