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.