jig
n. countablen. a fast, lively dance that involves a lot of quick steps. You might see people doing this at a traditional Irish party.
n. a lively traditional dance characterized by rapid, rhythmic footwork, typically in triple time. Often associated with Irish or Scottish folk music.
The band played a fast jig and everyone started dancing.
At the end of the wedding, the fiddle player began a lively jig that brought the whole family to the floor.
The composer incorporated elements of the traditional maritime jig into the final movement of the symphony, creating a rhythmic contrast with the earlier, more somber passages.
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.
Probably a clipping of jigaboo, of uncertain origin, perhaps an African/Bantu word. Alternatively, jigaboo may be derived from jig (“dance”).
Often appears in the idiom 'the jig is up', meaning a dishonest plan has been discovered.