5. (old: now recognised).—A light two-wheeled vehicle drawn by one horse.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
1809. Windham, Speech, 25 May. Let the former riders in gigs and whiskeys, and one horsed carriages continue to ride in them.
6. (old).—A door. See Gigger.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue. It is all bob, now let's dub the gigg of the case: now the coast is clear, let us break open the door of the house.
7. (Eton).—A fool; an over-*dressed person. For synonyms, see Sammy-soft.
1797. Colman, Heir at Law, iv., 3. Dick.—What a damn'd gig you look like. Pangloss.—A gig! umph! that's an Eton phrase—the Westminsters call it Quiz.
1870. Athenæum, 16 Apr. He would now be what Eton used to call a gig, and Westminster a Quiz.
8. (old).—Fun; a frolic; a spree. [Possibly from Fr.: gigue = a lively dance movement. Cf., gigue et jon = a Bacchanalian exclamation of sailors. In Florio, too, frottolare = 'to sing gigges, rounds, or . . . wanton verses.'] Full of gig = full of laughter, ripe for mischief.
1811. Moore, Twopenny Post-bag, Letter 3. We were all in high gig—Roman punch and tokay travelled round, till our heads travelled just the same way.
1820. Randall, Diary. In search of lark, or some delicious gig, The mind delights on, when 'tis in prime twig.
1823. Moncrieff, Tom and Jerry, i., 3. I hope we shall have many a bit of gig together.
1888. Besant, Fifty Years Ago, p. 134. A laughter-loving lass of eighteen who dearly loved a bit of gig.
9. (old).—The mouth. For synonyms, see Potato-trap.
1871. Finish to Tom and Jerry, p. 175 [ed. 1872)']. The bit of myrtle in his gig.
10. (old).—A farthing. Formerly grig (q.v.).
11. American).—See Policy Dealing.
Verb. (old).—To hamstring.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. To gigg a Smithfield hank, to hamstring an overdrove ox.
By Gigs! intj. (old).—A mild and silly oath. See Oaths.
1551. Gammer Gurton's Needle, ii., 51. Chad a foule turne now of late, chill tell it you, by gigs!
Gigamaree, subs. (American).—A
thing of little worth; a pretty
but useless toy; a gimcrack
(q.v.).
1848. Jones, Sketches of Travel, p. 9. Byin' fineries and northern gigamarees of one kind or another.
Ibid. I ax'd the captain what sort of a gigamaree he had got up there for a flag.
Gigantomachize, verb. (old).—To
rise in revolt against one's
betters. Gr., Gigantomachia =
the War of the Giants against the
Gods. [Probably a coinage of
Ben Jonson's.]
1599. Jonson, Every Man Out, Act v., 4. Slight, fed with it the whoreson, strummel-patched, goggle-eyed grumble-*dores would have gigantomachized their Maker.
Gigger, subs. (tailors')—1. A sewing
machine. (In allusion to noise
and movement).
2. See Jigger.
Giggles-nest. Have you found
A giggles-nest? phr. (old).—Asked
of a person titterering, or
one who laughs immoderately
and senselessly.
