jig

CEFRC1

/d͡ʒɪɡ/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    Music in three-four time for dancing a jig.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A dance performed by one or sometimes two individual dancers, as opposed to a dance performed by a set or team.

Examples

  • The jig is up; let's face the music like men.

  • The jig, reel and hornpipe are the most popular Irish dances.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. A lively dance in 6/8 (double jig), 9/8 (slip jig) or 12/8 (single jig) time; a tune suitable for such a dance. By extension, a lively traditional tune in any of these time signatures. Unqualified, the term is usually taken to refer to a double (6/8) jig.

  2. A light, brisk musical movement; a gigue.

  3. A type of lure consisting of a hook molded into a weight, usually with a bright or colorful body.

More examples

In context

  • Cutting circles out of pinewood is best done with a compass-style jig.

  • The guests were jigging around on the dance floor.

  • They danced a jig.

Quick test

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Question 1 · Quick check

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Nearby

Origin

noun

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.