1809. Windham, Speech, 25 May. Let the former riders in gigs and whiskeys, and one horsed carriages continue to ride in them.
6. (old).—A door. See Gigger.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue. It is all bob, now let’s dub the gigg of the case: now the coast is clear, let us break open the door of the house.
7. (Eton).—A fool; an overdressed person. For synonyms, see Sammy-soft.
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.