gig

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C1 — Advanced

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

noun long and light rowing boat; especially for racing
noun an implement with a shaft and barbed point used for catching fish
noun a cluster of hooks (without barbs) that is drawn through a school of fish to hook their bodies; used when fish are not biting

The etymology of the noun is unknown, but compare Old French gigue (“a fiddle”). The verb is derived from the noun.

They jumped into the gig. — The Pickwick Papers, Charles Dickens
They went in the gig that day. — Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman, Thomas Hardy
“Here come the gigs, sir,” said I. — Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson

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