# Origin of the term "gig"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-term-gig/131211>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 7, 2002, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-term-gig/131211 "2002-10-07T15:44:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![guitarmax\_99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f19dbf/32.png) [@guitarmax\_99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guitarmax_99)\
**Post date:** [October 7, 2002, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-term-gig/131211/1 "2002-10-07T15:44:37Z")

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Anyone know where the term “gig” came from? I’m refering to the musical usage (as in reference to a concert or performance).

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**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\
**Post date:** [October 7, 2002, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-term-gig/131211/2 "2002-10-07T16:28:21Z")

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[THE GREAT AMERICAN BIG BANDS](http://64.33.34.112/.WWW/etymol.html) has this to say:

> [@](#):
>
> **’gig’**  
> –The musician’s engagement probably derives immediately from the ‘gig’ that is a dance or party, but ‘gig’ and ‘gigi’ (or ‘giggy’) also are old slang terms for the vulva; the first has been dated to the seventeenth century.

And from [Word Origins](http://www.wordorigins.org/wordorg.htm) we get:

> [@](#):
>
> **Gig**
> 
> \<snip\>
> 
> This brings us to the most common sense, that of a musician’s engagement or job. The musical sense dates to 1926 and first arose as jazz slang in the US. But the origin is not in music. The use of gig to mean a non-musical job or occupation dates to 1908, and the sense of a business affair or event is a year older than that. The origin is unknown, but it may come from the slang term gag. This dates to 1890 and means business method, practice, or behavior. All these sense are American slang usages.
> 
> These last senses may be from, or be influenced by, an obsolete sense of gig. This sense of gig is a type of bet in a numbers game. It dates to 1847 and is an arbitrary use of the sense of gig as a carriage (a horse is another type of bet).

And, from [Take Our Word For It](http://www.takeourword.com/et_e-g.html#gig) there’s also this:

> [@](#):
>
> Finally, _gig_ `a musical performance' likely comes from French *gigue* `a ball or dance,’ from Middle French _giguer_ `to dance.' Jig (the verb) likely comes from the same source (with influence from earlier jig `move up and down’).

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**Author:** ![guitarmax\_99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f19dbf/32.png) [@guitarmax\_99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guitarmax_99)\
**Post date:** [October 7, 2002, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-term-gig/131211/3 "2002-10-07T16:32:57Z")

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Thanks Ringo. I wouldn’t have known where to start looking. Some interesting possibilities there.