jig·ger

1 [jig-er]
noun
1.
a person or thing that jigs.
2.
Nautical.
a.
the lowermost sail set on a jiggermast.
c.
a light tackle, as a gun tackle.
3.
any of various mechanical devices, many of which have a jerky or jolting motion.
4.
Informal. some contrivance, article, or part that one cannot or does not name more precisely: What is that little jigger on the pistol?
5.
Ceramics. a machine for forming plates or the like in a plaster mold rotating beneath a template.
6.
Mining. a jig for separating ore.
7.
a jig for fishing.
8.
Golf. a club with an iron head intermediate between a mashie and a midiron, now rarely used.
9.
Billiards, Pool. a bridge.
10.
a.
a 1½-oz. (45-ml) measure used in cocktail recipes.
b.
a small whiskey glass holding 1½ ounces (45 ml).

Origin:
1665–75; jig1 + -er1

00:10
Jigger is always a great word to know.
So is bezoar. Does it mean:
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
Dictionary.com Unabridged

jig·ger

2 [jig-er]
noun
1.
Also called jigger flea. chigoe.
2.
Chiefly South Midland and Southern U.S. chigger.

Origin:
1750–60; variant of chigger

jig·ger

3 [jig-er]
verb (used with object)
1.
to interfere with.
2.
to manipulate or alter, especially in order to get something done illegally or unethically: to jigger company records to conceal a loss.

Origin:
1865–70; jig2 (in verbal sense) + -er6

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To jigger
Collins
World English Dictionary
jigger1 (ˈdʒɪɡə) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  a person or thing that jigs
2.  golf an iron, now obsolete, with a thin blade, used for hitting long shots from a bare lie
3.  any of a number of mechanical devices having a vibratory or jerking motion
4.  a light lifting tackle used on ships
5.  a small glass, esp for whisky, with a capacity of about one and a half ounces
6.  (NZ) a light hand- or power-propelled vehicle used on railway lines
7.  engineering a type of hydraulic lift in which a hydraulic ram operates the lift through a block and tackle which increases the length of the stroke
8.  (Canadian) a device used when setting a gill net beneath ice
9.  mining another word for jig
10.  nautical short for jiggermast
11.  billiards another word for bridge
12.  informal (US), (Canadian) a device or thing the name of which is unknown or temporarily forgotten
13.  dialect (Liverpool) an alleyway

jigger or jigger flea2 (ˈdʒɪɡə) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
other names for the chigoe
 
jigger flea or jigger flea2
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

jigger
"1.5-ounce shot glass," 1836, from jigger, a 1756 alteration of chigger "tiny mite or flea" (q.v.). As a name for various appliances, it is attested from 1825, from jig (q.v.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

jigger jig·ger2 (jĭg'ər)
n.

  1. See chigger.

  2. See chigoe.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Slang Dictionary

jigger definition


  1. n.
    a drink of whiskey. (The standard term for a small container used for measuring the right amount of liquor for a drink.) : How about another jigger of that shine?
  2. n.
    a cigarette. : You got a jigger I can bum?
  3. n.
    a gadget. : Toss me one of those copper jiggers there in the box.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Example sentences
After heating, add a jigger of spirits and a cinnamon stick.
Each of us had to down a jigger of the stuff in one gulp.
When the pre-set weight of fish has been hooked, the jigger can automatically reel in the line.
If the bartender pours using a jigger, record the jigger size and measure the contents of the jigger using water and the graduate.
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