German

Noun

Gig m

1. gig (performing engagement by a musical group, usually used when referring to events with small audience and contemporary music such as rock or punk)

English

Noun

gig ‎(plural gigs)

1. (informal, music) A performing engagement by a musical group; or, generally, any job or role, especially for a musician or performer.

   I caught one of the Rolling Stones' first gigs in Richmond.

   Hey, when are we gonna get that hotel gig again?

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2. (informal, by extension) Any job; especially one that is temporary; or alternately, one that is very desirable.

   I had this gig as a file clerk but it wasn't my style so I left.

   Hey, that guy's got a great gig over at the bike shop. He hardly works all day!

3. (now historical) A two-wheeled horse-drawn carriage.
   • 1967, William Styron, The Confessions of Nat Turner, Vintage 2004, page 77:

     the room grew stifling warm and vapor clung to the windowpanes, blurring the throng of people still milling outside the courthouse, a row of tethered gigs and buggies, distant pine trees in a scrawny, ragged grove.

4. (archaic) A forked spear for catching fish, frogs, or other small animals.
5. (Southern England) A six-oared sea rowing boat commonly found in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
   • 1979, Stan Rogers, The Flowers of Bermuda:

     The captain's gig still lies before ye whole and sound, / It shall carry all o' we.

6. (US, military) A demerit received for some infraction of military dress or deportment codes.

   I received gigs for having buttons undone.

Translations

Verb

gig ‎(third-person singular simple present gigs, present participle gigging, simple past and past participle gigged)

1. To fish or catch with a gig, or fish spear.
2. To engage in musical performances.

   The Stones were gigging around Richmond at the time

3. To make fun of; to make a joke at someone's expense, often condescending.

   His older cousin was just gigging him about being in love with that girl from school.

4. (US, military) To impose a demerit for an infraction of a dress or deportment code.

   His sergeant gigged him for an unmade bunk.

Translations

Derived terms

• gigster

Etymology 2

A shortening of gigabyte.

Noun

gig ‎(plural gig or gigs)

1. (colloquial, computing) A gigabyte.

   This picture is almost a gig; don't you wanna resize it?

   How much music does it hold? A hundred and twenty gigs.

Translations

Etymology 3

From Middle English gigge, from Old French gigues ‎(“a gay, lively girl”), from Old Norse gikkr ‎(“a pert person”), related to Danish gjæk ‎(“a fool; jester”), Swedish gäck ‎(“a fool; jester; wag”). More at geck.

Noun

gig ‎(plural gigs)

1. A playful or wanton girl; a giglot.

Etymology 4

Probably from Latin gignere ‎(“to beget”).

Verb

gig ‎(third-person singular simple present gigs, present participle gigging, simple past and past participle gigged)

1. To engender.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Dryden to this entry?)

Anagrams

• IgG

Lojban

Rafsi

gig

1. rafsi of gigdo.

Welsh

Noun

gig

1. Soft mutation of cig ‎(“meat”).

Mutation