# Gig is short for 'engagement"? Wiki, pardon my skepticism **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 4, 2011, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gig-is-short-for-engagement-wiki-pardon-my-skepticism/573508 "2011-03-04T19:08:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2011, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gig-is-short-for-engagement-wiki-pardon-my-skepticism/573508/21 "2011-03-05T17:14:46Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#): > > The term may have been used 200 years before, but the music was still courante. You’ve gavotta be kidding. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2011, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gig-is-short-for-engagement-wiki-pardon-my-skepticism/573508/22 "2011-03-05T19:58:47Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > You’ve gavotta be kidding. Just a minuet - I’m getting bourreed of all these galanteries; are you tocca ta me? ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2011, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gig-is-short-for-engagement-wiki-pardon-my-skepticism/573508/23 "2011-03-05T20:48:29Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#): > > Just a minuet - I’m getting bourreed of all these galanteries; are you tocca ta me? /me shoots Le Ministre. “Had to be done,” he said, blowing the smoke from the muzzle of his six shooter. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2011, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gig-is-short-for-engagement-wiki-pardon-my-skepticism/573508/24 "2011-03-05T20:53:10Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#): > > Just a minuet - I’m getting bourreed of all these galanteries; are you tocca ta me? Okay, that was pretty suite–I think you got allemande-atory dances. ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2011, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gig-is-short-for-engagement-wiki-pardon-my-skepticism/573508/25 "2011-03-05T22:02:03Z")
If I weren’t at my condo “clubhouse” for the WiFi I’d grab my OED and learn something. Oh, wait, somebody already has done it for me. FWIW, I stopped using gig for a music engagement a while ago – I personally just call an engagement “a job.” But plenty of good musicians still use the term “gig” – probably for the ease of communication with the square apples or just from habit. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2011, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gig-is-short-for-engagement-wiki-pardon-my-skepticism/573508/26 "2011-03-06T19:20:14Z")
“Oh, Bob - of course I’ll marry you!” Frantically dials phone… “Mom, Bob and I just got gigged!” ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2011, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gig-is-short-for-engagement-wiki-pardon-my-skepticism/573508/27 "2011-03-06T19:27:10Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > /me shoots Le Ministre. “Had to be done,” he said, blowing the smoke from the muzzle of his six shooter. Ah, but you forgot about the Da Capo - “I’m Baaaaaaach!” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gig-is-short-for-engagement-wiki-pardon-my-skepticism/573508.md?page=1)