JIG  , a brisk lively

dance, the quick and irregular steps of which have varied at different times and in the various countries in which it has been danced (see DANCE) . The music of the " jig," or such as is written in its rhythm, is in various times and has been used frequently to finish a suite, e.g. by Bach and Handel . The word has usually been derived from or connected with Fr. gigue, Ital. giga, Ger . Geige, a fiddle . The French and Italian words are now chiefly used of the dance or dance rhythm, and in this sense have been taken by etymologists as adapted from the English " jig," which may have been originally an onomatopoeic word . The idea of jumping, jerking movement has given rise to many applications of " jig " and its derivative " jigger " to mechanical and other devices, such as the machine used for separating the heavier metal-bearing portions from the lighter parts in ore-dressing, or a tackle consisting of a double and single block and fall, &c . The word " jigger," a corruption of the West Indian chigoe, is also used as the name of a species of flea, the Sarcopsylla penetrans, which burrows and lays its eggs in the human foot, generally under the toe nails, and causes great swelling and irritation (see FLEA) .