jigger

¹

[ jig-er ]

noun

1. a person or thing that jigs.
2. Nautical.
   1. the lowermost sail set on a jiggermast.
   2. jiggermast.
   3. 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. 1. a 1½-oz. (45-milliliter) measure used in cocktail recipes.
    2. a small whiskey glass holding 1½ ounces (45 milliliters).

jigger

²

[ jig-er ]

noun

1. Also called jigger flea. chigoe.
2. Chiefly South Midland and Southern U.S. chigger.

jigger

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.

jigger

¹

/ ˈdʒɪɡə /

noun

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. 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. 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 1
12. informal.
    a device or thing the name of which is unknown or temporarily forgotten
13. dialect.
    an alleyway

jigger

²

/ ˈdʒɪɡə /

noun

1. other names for the chigoe

Word History and Origins

Origin of jigger¹

First recorded in 1665–75; of unknown origin; perhaps from jig ¹ or jig ²( def ) + -er ¹

Origin of jigger²

First recorded in 1750–60; variant of chigger

Origin of jigger³

First recorded in 1865–70; jig ² + -er ⁶

Example Sentences

All 29 of the men on the Chinese jigger were rescued from the water that day.

From Los Angeles Times

At the very least, a cocktail shaker or mixing glass with a bar spoon, an ice bucket filled with ice, a jigger and a corkscrew.

From Seattle Times

In October 2015, for example, the Chinese crew on a squid jigger called the Ningtai 89 went on strike after the ship owner tried to pay lower wages than he originally promised.

From Los Angeles Times

I think her team wouldn’t let her shoot unless they had a key light on her, so they had to jigger this key light.

From Los Angeles Times

After he ripped his drive over the Old Course Hotel sign and into the 17th fairway, hotel guests and spectators lined up against the wall in front of the hotel and the Jigger Inn.

From Washington Times