dig
n. countablen. a clever or mean comment that someone makes to hurt your feelings or make you look silly. It is a quick way to criticize someone without being too direct.
n. a critical or insulting remark, often delivered in a subtle or sarcastic manner. Informal in register; frequently used in social or political commentary.
He made a little dig about my messy hair.
During the debate, the candidate couldn't resist taking a dig at his opponent's previous voting record.
The columnist's latest piece was ostensibly a review of the film, but it functioned primarily as a series of sharp digs at the director's perceived lack of artistic integrity.
From Middle English diggen (“to dig”, 13th c.), an alteration of dīken, from Old English dīcian (“to dig a ditch, mound up earth”), from Proto-West Germanic dīkōn, which see for cognates. This verb is denominal from Proto-Germanic dīkaz (“pool, puddle; dyke, ditch”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeygʷ- (“to stab, dig”). The form with g may have been influenced by Old French *diguer, a variant of dikier, itself from the West Germanic verb above. French forms with g are attested only in the 15th c., thus 200 years later than in English. On the other hand, French has according forms also for the underlying noun (cf. digue) and the phonetic development is more plausible in French than in English.
From African American Vernacular English; due to lack of writing of slave speech, etymology is difficult to trace, but it has been suggested that it is from Wolof dëgg, dëgga (“to understand, to appreciate”). It has also been suggested that it is from Irish dtuig, thus being a doublet of twig. Others do not propose a distinct etymology, instead considering this a semantic shift of the existing English term (compare dig in/dig into).
Shortening.
Unknown. Compare Middle English digge.
Commonly used with the verbs 'take' or 'make' ('to take a dig at someone').