A jig is 1.) a lively dance 2.) a piece of music that a jig is danced to 3.) a part of a machine that guides a cutting tool 4.) a type of fishing lure that jerks up and down in the water 5.) to jerk something up and down 6.) in Australia, to be absent from school without permission. Jig appears in the 1560s from the Middle French giguer, meaning to dance.
A gig is 1.) a many-hooked fishing line 2.) a job or engagement 3.) a jazz-playing engagement 4.) a military demerit 5.) a light, two-wheeled, one-horse carriage. Gig first appears in the late 1700s to signify a light, two-wheeled, one-horse carriage, coming from the Middle English ghyg meaning spinning top. Gig began to be used at the turn of the twentieth century to mean a job or engagement.
Examples
But when the American jig experts dropped their flashing metal lures to the sea bed and then worked them up and down the kings went crazy, and Kiwi fishermen had learned a new technique that would revolutionise angling in this country. (The New Zealand Herald)
“There are lyrics that stir the lifeblood of their song’s subjects, bringing a new generation’s observations, driving rhythms of guitar and bluegrass banjo that makes me want to jig it up and throw it down, and then vocals that are so undeniably effective and bold with their core rooted deep in country music’s soul.” (The Pagosa Springs Sun)
The third movement begins with a cheeky jig, over which violins string lyric lines then pluckings. (The Dallas Morning News)
A lot of parking along the street must still be paid for, so when a handy spot is found where there’s no charge, it can cause enough giddiness to make a feller dance a jig. (The Toronto Star)
A profit from live shows of £2.2m would leave Sheeran with earnings per show of £22,000 per gig. (The Guardian)
Sadly, for whatever the reasons, little is remembered from this gig apart from the fact that it was 60p to get in and was billed as the last gig before a tour of the US – although that was not strictly true. (The Coventry Telegraph)