Contents
- 1 English
- 1.1 Pronunciation
- 1.2 Etymology 1
- 1.2.1 Noun
- 1.2.1.1 Synonyms
- 1.2.1.2 Derived terms
- 1.2.1.3 Descendants
- 1.2.1.4 Translations
- 1.2.2 Verb
- 1.2.2.1 Synonyms
- 1.2.2.2 Derived terms
- 1.2.2.3 See also
- 1.2.1 Noun
- 1.3 Etymology 2
- 1.3.1 Noun
- 1.3.1.1 Translations
- 1.3.1 Noun
- 1.4 Etymology 3
- 1.4.1 Alternative forms
- 1.4.2 Noun
- 1.4.2.1 Synonyms
- 1.4.2.2 Derived terms
- 1.4.3 Verb
- 1.5 References
English[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Etymology 1[edit]
From jig + -er (agent suffix). Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary suggests a possible link to Old High German gīga (“fiddle”).
Noun[edit]
jigger (plural jiggers)
- (US) A double-ended vessel, generally of stainless steel or other metal, one end of which typically measures 1½fluid ounces (approx. 44ml), the other typically 1 fluid ounce (approx. 30ml).
- 2000, Robert B. Hess, drinkboy.com:
- A good jigger will have a well formed lip that will pour a clean stream into the co*cktail shaker or glass.
2015 August 22, Robert Simonson, “Sasha Petraske, 42, Dies; Bar Owner Restored Luster to co*cktail Culture”, in The New York Times[1], →ISSN:
He also championed the “bartender’s choice” found on many co*cktail menus, the use of jiggers to measure out drinks, and even the ubiquitous use of cucumber slices in water glasses.
- 2000, Robert B. Hess, drinkboy.com:
- (US) A measure of 1½fluid ounces (approx. 44ml) of liquor.
1956, Ian Fleming, chapter 13, in Diamonds Are Forever:
“People are so dam’ sensitive about colour around here that you can’t even ask a barman for a jigger of rum. You have to ask for a jegro.”
- (US, slang) A drink of whisky.
- (mining) The sieve used in sorting or separating ore.
- (mining) One who jigs; a miner who sorts or cleans ore by the process of jigging.
- (pottery) A horizontal lathe used in producing flatware.
2004, thepotteries.org, Jiggering:
Hand jiggers consisted of two iron frames with a spindle in each - the driving spindle with its iron belt pulley approximately 20 inches in diameter and the driven spindle with a small wooden pulley.
- (textiles) A device used in the dyeing of cloth.
- A pendulum rolling machine for slicking or graining leather.
- (UK, slang, dated) A bicycle.
1932, Frank Richards, “The Complete Outsider”, in The Magnet:
He made the discovery that the bikestand was vacant and the machine gone. "Where the thump's my jigger?" he exclaimed.
- (golf, dated) A golf club used to play low flying shots to the putting green from short distances.
- A warehouse crane.
- (nautical) A light tackle, consisting of a double and single block and the fall, used for various purposes, as to increase the purchase on a topsail sheet in hauling it home; the watch tackle.
- (nautical) A jiggermast.
- (nautical, New England) A small fishing vessel, rigged like a yawl.
- (fishing) A device used by fishermen to set their nets under the ice of frozen lakes.
- (archaic) One who dances jigs; an odd-looking person.
- (New Zealand) A short board or plank inserted into a tree for a person to stand on while cutting off higher branches.
- (US) A placeholder name for any small mechanical device.
1915, Printers' Ink, page 119:
“an air-brush is a big thing-a-ma-bob or whatcha-callit, full of gas, and when you turn on a little jigger, it causes compressed air to squeeze out, which, in turn, going through a needle—” “That wasn't part of the contract, Mr. Jones,” […]
- (rail transport, New Zealand) A railway jigger, a small motorized or human powered vehicle used by railway workers to traverse railway tracks.
- The bridge or rest for the cue in billiards.
- (horse racing) An illicit electric shock device used to urge on a horse during a race.
- (archaic) A streetcar drawn by a single horse.
- (archaic) A kind of early electric cash register.
- (Australia, surveying, slang) A total station or its predecessor, a theodolite.
Synonyms[edit]
- (pottery lathe): jolley
- (nautical mast): jiggermast
- (measure of liquor): pony
- (placeholder name): thingamajig; doojigger; see also Thesaurus:thingy
- (rail vehicle): handcar; speeder
Derived terms[edit]
Descendants[edit]
- → Catalan: gigre
Translations[edit]
double ended vessel
jiggermast — see jiggermast
placeholder name — see thingy
Verb[edit]
jigger (third-person singular simple present jiggers, present participle jiggering, simple past and past participle jiggered)
- To alter or adjust, particularly in ways not originally intended.
- You'll have to jigger it from the original specifications to get it to work.
- (pottery) To use a jigger.
- To move, send, or drive with a jerk; to jerk; also, to drive or send over with a jerk, as a golf ball.
1899, Carlyle Smith, “The Secret of Golf”, in Harper's Magazine:
He could jigger the ball o'er a steeple tall as most men would jigger a cop.
Synonyms[edit]
- (use a pottery jigger): jolley
Derived terms[edit]
See also[edit]
Etymology 2[edit]
Likely a corruption of chigoe. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary suggests a possible derivation from Wolof jiga (“insect”).
Noun[edit]
jigger (plural jiggers)
- A sandflea, Tunga penetrans, of the order Siphonaptera; chigoe.
- A larva of any of several mites in the family Trombiculidae; chigger, harvest mite.
Translations[edit]
Tunga penetrans — see chigger
Etymology 3[edit]
A slang term of unknown origin, originally meaning prison. Oxford English Dictionary suggests that its origin might be the same as Etymology 1, above.
Alternative forms[edit]
Noun[edit]
jigger (plural jiggers)
- (slang, archaic) A prison; a jail cell.
1990, “Supreme Court of Iowa”, in Court Listener[2], Harper v. State, 463 N.W.2d 418 (Iowa 1990):
According to a disciplinary notice, a correctional officer saw a "jigger string" coming from cell H-2 to Harper's cell. A jigger string is used to move objects between cells.
- (dialect, Liverpool, dated) An alleyway separating the backs of two rows of houses.
1967, Peter Madden, “The Supreme Winnower”, in Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, volume 301, William Blackwood, →OCLC, page 178:
"It's jus' through this jigger and round the back of the next block." She hurried through the alleyway in front of me; the pressing back-yard walls prevented anything more than single file.
- (slang, euphemistic, dated) The penis.
1931, Chloe Owings, A Research in Parental Sex Education, University of Minnesota Press, →OCLC, page 245:
Well, they saw a little boy on the street and his penis was hanging out and they said his "jigger" was hanging out, and I said, "Well, maybe his mother didn't tell him differently."
- (slang, euphemistic) A vagin*.
2002, Nalo Hopkinson, “Paris, 1842”, in Elizabeth Ruth, editor, Bent on Writing: Contemporary Queer Tales, Toronto: Women's Press, →ISBN, page 23:
A tiny pulse from Lisette's thigh beat under my ear: stroke, stroke, stroke. I contemplated the thick red bush of her jigger, so close to my face.
- (obsolete, UK, thieves' cant) A door.
1821, David Haggart, The Life of David Haggart[3], page 98:
On getting to the top of the stair, to my disappointment there was a padlock upon the garret jigger; I wheep't out my chive, broke it up, and picked the padlock with the back-spring.
1828, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, chapter LXXXIII, in Pelham: or The Adventures of a Gentleman[4], page 402:
"Crash the cull—down with him—down with him before he dubs the jigger. Tip him the degan, Fib, fake him through and through; if he pikes we shall all be scragged."
- (slang) An illegal distillery.
- (slang, UK) A lock pick.
1935, Science News Letter - Volumes 27-28, page 164:
Officials of Chicago't Cook County Jail watch Ed Stanley, inmate, pick sample locks with a professional "jigger gun."
1936, Clyde B. Clason, The Fifth Tumbler, page 245:
The jigger gun and nippers would be out of sight down the shaft, and the face of the plate hides the thread.
1938, Chain Store Age - Volume 14, page 147:
...of attack that open practically any padlock — the use of keys, picking of the lock with hand picks or jigger guns, ....
2010, Mark Abernethy, Second Strike, →ISBN, page 19:
Sizing up the padlock, Mac slapped at a webbing pocket for his lock jiggers, but felt nothing.
Synonyms[edit]
- (alleyway): See Thesaurus:alley
Derived terms[edit]
- jigger-dubber (“jailer”)
Verb[edit]
jigger (third-person singular simple present jiggers, present participle jiggering, simple past and past participle jiggered)
- (slang, obsolete) To imprison.
1870, J.T. Campion, “Billy in the Bowl”, in The Shamrock, volume 8, page 107:
...offering to swear an alibi for the prisoner [...] to ensure an acquittal. Terms: £50 for value received. No pay if jiggered.
- (slang, archaic) To confound; to damn.
1831, John Banim, The Smuggler, page 231:
jigger me, but I think you be turning jest into earnest,
1887, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Little Lord Fauntleroy, page 173:
It had always been his habit to say, "I will be jiggered," but this time he said, "I am jiggered."
References[edit]
- Oxford English Dictionary, 1884–1928, and First Supplement, 1933..
- Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 10th Edition. Merriam-Webster, 1993.
- “jigger”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=jigger&oldid=76818757"
I'm an expert in linguistics and language analysis with a demonstrated depth of knowledge in etymology, semantics, and lexicography. My expertise is rooted in extensive training on diverse language corpora, allowing me to delve into the intricacies of word origins, meanings, and usage patterns. Let's dive into the concepts presented in the provided article on "jigger."
Etymology and Pronunciation:
The term "jigger" has multiple etymological roots, and its pronunciation varies. In the US, it is pronounced as /ˈd͡ʒɪɡɚ/, while in Received Pronunciation, it is /ˈd͡ʒɪɡə/. The word's origin is traced back to the combination of "jig" and the agent suffix "-er." Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary suggests a potential link to Old High German "gīga," meaning "fiddle."
Noun - Double-Ended Vessel:
In the context of a "jigger" as a noun, it refers to a double-ended vessel, often made of stainless steel, used in bartending to measure specific quantities of liquid. It typically has one end measuring 1½ fluid ounces and the other 1 fluid ounce. The term is also used slangily for a drink of whisky.
Other Noun Usages:
- In mining, a "jigger" is a sieve used for sorting or separating ore.
- In pottery, it can refer to a horizontal lathe used in producing flatware.
- In textiles, a "jigger" is a device used in the dyeing of cloth.
- In golf (dated), it was a type of golf club for low-flying shots.
- In nautical contexts, it can denote various items like a light tackle, a crane, or a small fishing vessel.
Verb - To Alter or Adjust:
The verb form of "jigger" means to alter or adjust, especially in ways not originally intended. For example, you might need to "jigger" something from its original specifications to make it work.
Other Verb Usages:
- In pottery, it means to use a jigger.
- In sports like golf, it can refer to moving or driving with a jerk, as in golfing.
Etymology 2 - Insect and Larva:
This usage of "jigger" likely derives from the term "chigoe." It refers to a sandflea (Tunga penetrans) or the larva of certain mites in the family Trombiculidae.
Etymology 3 - Slang Terms:
This version of "jigger" has uncertain origins. It's used as slang for:
- A prison or jail cell.
- An alleyway in Liverpool.
- Euphemistic terms for male and female genitalia.
- An illegal distillery.
- In the UK, a lock pick.
Verb - To Imprison or Confound:
The verb form of "jigger" (slang, obsolete) means to imprison or confound.
References:
The article cites sources such as Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary and the Oxford English Dictionary to support its explanations.
In conclusion, "jigger" is a versatile term with diverse meanings and applications across various domains, from bartending and mining to pottery and slang expressions for prison and genitalia.
