the jig is up

[Jonathan Lighter]

Regardless of the early spelling or pronunciation of gig/jig, the fact is
that "The gig is up" is recorded only since the '70s - or later, AFAIK.

JL

On Tue, Apr 12, 2011 at 5:45 PM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>wrote:

> The "pseudo-racist origin" (or the "racist pseudo-origin") is that the
> phrase began during  lynchings.  Once the hanging was underway, whites in
> the area would smirk, "The jig is up!"
>
> According to one or two of my undergraduate classmates at NYU in 1970-71.
> I've encountered the story since then too.
>
> JL
>   On Tue, Apr 12, 2011 at 5:11 PM, victor steinbok <aardvark66 at gmail.com>wrote:
>
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> -----------------------
>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       victor steinbok <aardvark66 at GMAIL.COM>
>> Subject:      Re: the jig is up
>>
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> Pseudo-racist? In mid-1700s? You don't say!
>>
>> Well, actually, I missed that discussion. But I did find it.
>>
>> it's from Sep 18, 2007 and Arnold Zwicky, in response, included the
>> link to the CBC page I brought up earlier.
>>
>> Jon had added, at the time:
>>
>> > Jig" was often spelled "gig" in the 17th C.
>> >
>> > So...well...just an observation.
>>
>> This is true, although it was quite a jumble with j/i/g in front and
>> single or double -g at the end. But would it be fair to say that they
>> were all /pronounced/ the same way, unlike "gig" today? (seems to be
>> the point of Arnold's remark within that thread as well, and Charlie's
>> point above)
>>
>> Now, for the "pseudo-racist" origins, I just don't see it. "Jig" as
>> performance and dance goes deep into the 18th century and likely
>> earlier--OED has the dance to 1560. The only records in dictionaries
>> to racially-charged "jig" and "jigaboo" are all from the 20th century.
>> So there may be avoidance /now/ because of assumed (but incorrect)
>> association, but I found no "pseudo-racist" origins.
>>
>> Of course, if there is some 16th-18th century material that I missed,
>> I'll be glad to be educated on the subject. Yeah, maybe there is some
>> ESA like "niggardly", but I have not seen or heard it--perhaps I'm
>> just unaware.
>>
>> VS-)
>>
>> On Tue, Apr 12, 2011 at 4:01 PM, Jonathan Lighter
>> <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> >
>> > We've discussed the pseudo-racist origin of the "the jig is up."
>> >
>> > By sheer coincidence, two young whippersnapper professionals in their
>> '40s
>> > were incredulous on Saturday when the phrase arose and I stupidly
>> > explained that the "usual" version was "The jig is up."
>> >
>> > They insisted that "gig" was correct, because (get ready) "What's 'jig'
>> > mean? A jigsaw? What sense does that make?" My explanation that a "jig"
>> was
>> > a kind of dance was greeted with suspicion. "Nobody says, 'The  dance is
>> > up.' They say 'The dance is over.'"
>> >
>> > Kids today.
>> >
>> >  JL
>>
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>
>
> --
>  "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> truth."
>



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