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Jam vs Gig - What's the difference?

jam | gig |

As nouns the difference between jam and gig

is that jam is a sweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar and allowed to congeal. Often spread on bread or toast or used in jam tarts while gig is a performing engagement by a musical group; or, generally, any job or role for a musician or performer.

As verbs the difference between jam and gig

is that jam is to get something stuck in a confined space while gig is to fish or catch with a gig, or fish spear.

jam

English

, a type of jam, spread on a piece of bread

Etymology 1

Noun

  • A sweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar and allowed to congeal. Often spread on bread or toast or used in jam tarts.
  • (countable) A difficult situation.
  • I’m in a jam right now. Can you help me out?
  • * 1975 , (Bob Dylan), (Tangled Up in Blue)
  • She was married when we first met
    Soon to be divorced
    I helped her out of a jam , I guess
    But I used a little too much force.
  • (countable) Blockage, congestion.
  • A traffic jam caused us to miss the game's first period.
    a jam of logs in a river
  • An informal, impromptu performance or rehearsal.
  • (countable, baseball) A difficult situation for a pitcher or defending team.
  • He's in a jam now, having walked the bases loaded with the cleanup hitter coming to bat.
  • (countable, basketball) A forceful dunk.
  • (countable, roller derby) A play during which points can be scored.
  • Toughie scored four points in that jam .
  • (climbing, countable) Any of several maneuvers requiring wedging of an extremity into a tight space.
  • I used a whole series of fist and foot jams in that crack.
  • (UK) luck.
  • He's got more jam than Waitrose.
  • (mining)
  • Synonyms
    * (sweet mixture of fruit) conserve, (US) jelly, preserve * See also
    Derived terms
    * jamjar * jammy * jam band * jam roly poly * jam sandwich * jam session * jam tart * jam tomorrow * log jam * Murrumbidgee jam * pearl jam * power jam * toe jam * traffic jam * want jam on it * climbing: ** hand jam ** finger jam ** fist jam ** foot jam ** pinkie jam ** ring jam ** thumb-down jam
    See also
    * jelly * marmalade

    Verb

    (jamm)
  • To get something stuck in a confined space.
  • My foot got jammed in a gap between the rocks.
    Her poor little baby toe got jammed in the door.
    I jammed the top knuckle of my ring finger.
  • To brusquely force something into a space; cram, squeeze.
  • They temporarily stopped the gas tank leak by jamming a piece of taffy into the hole.
    The rush-hour train was jammed with commuters.
  • To cause congestion or blockage. Often used with "up"
  • A single accident can jam the roads for hours.
  • To block or confuse a broadcast signal.
  • (baseball) To throw a pitch at or near the batter's hands.
  • Jones was jammed by the pitch.
  • (music) To play music (especially improvisation as a group, or an informal unrehearsed session).
  • To injure a finger or toe by sudden compression of the digit's tip.
  • When he tripped on the step he jammed his toe.
  • (roller derby) To attempt to score points.
  • Toughie jammed four times in the second period.
  • (nautical) To bring (a vessel) so close to the wind that half her upper sails are laid aback.
  • Synonyms
    * ram
    Derived terms
    * (to squeeze into a small space) jam-pack * jammer

    Etymology 2

    (etyl) or (etyl), meaning "garment, robe"; related to pajamas.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (dated) A kind of frock for children.
  • English ergative verbs ----

    gig

    English

    Etymology 1

    Akin to Old Norse .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (informal, music) A performing engagement by a musical group; or, generally, any job or role for a musician or performer.
  • I caught one of the Rolling Stones' first gigs in Richmond .
    Hey, when are we gonna get that hotel gig again?
    Our guitar player had another gig so we had to get a sub.
  • (informal, by extension) Any job; especially one that is temporary; or alternately, one that is very desirable.
  • I had this gig as a file clerk but it wasn't my style so I left .
    Hey, that guy's got a great gig over at the bike shop. He hardly works all day!
  • A two-wheeled horse-drawn carriage.
  • * 1967 , William Styron, The Confessions of Nat Turner , Vintage 2004, p. 77:
  • the room grew stifling warm and vapor clung to the windowpanes, blurring the throng of people still milling outside the courthouse, a row of tethered gigs and buggies, distant pine trees in a scrawny, ragged grove.
  • (archaic) A forked spear for catching fish, frogs, or other small animals.
  • (South England) A six-oared sea rowing boat commonly found in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
  • (US, military) A demerit received for some infraction of military dress or deportment codes.
  • I received gigs for having buttons undone.

    Verb

  • To fish or catch with a gig, or fish spear.
  • To engage in musical performances.
  • The Stones were gigging around Richmond at the time
  • To make fun of; to make a joke at someone's expense, often condescending.
  • His older cousin was just gigging him about being in love with that girl from school.
  • (US, military) To impose a demerit for an infraction of a dress or deportment code.
  • His sergeant gigged him for an unmade bunk.

    Etymology 2

    A shortening of (gigabyte).

    Noun

    (en-noun)
  • (colloquial, computing) A gigabyte.
  • This picture is almost a gig ; don't you wanna resize it?
    How much music does it hold?'' ''A hundred and twenty gigs .

    Etymology 3

    (etyl) gigge.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A playful or wanton girl; a giglot.
  • Etymology 4

    Probably from (etyl) (lena) .

    Verb

  • To engender.
  • (Dryden)
    (Webster 1913)