Gig (carriage)

Gig (carriage)

A gig, also called chair or chaise, is a light, two-wheeled sprung cart pulled by one horse. OED gives the date of first known reference to a horse-drawn gig as 1791. Gigs travelling at night would normally carry two oil lamps with thick glass, known as gig-lamps.

Gig carts are constructed with the driver's seat sitting higher than the level of the shafts. Traditionally, a gig is more formal than a village cart or a meadowbrook cart. A light gig can be used for carriage racing.

There are several types of gig, including:
* calesín: small, one-horse, hooded, a seat behind for the driver, used in the Philippines; diminutive of Spanish "calesa"
* stanhope: typically having a high seat and closed back; named after Fitzroy Stanhope, a British clergyman who died in 1864.
* stick gig: lightweight, two-wheeled, for one person
* whiskey or whisky: small body that resembles a chair, suspended on leather braces attached to springs

External links

* [http://www.janeausten.co.uk/magazine/page.ihtml?pid=74&step=4 Landscape Property|Regency|Georgian|history|lifestyle|house | Gigs, Cabriolets and Curricles.] Jane Austen Centre Bath UK England.


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  • gig-lamps — gigˈ lamps plural noun 1. The lamps fixed on either side of a gig (carriage) 2. Spectacles (old slang) • • • Main Entry: ↑gig …   Useful english dictionary

  • gig lamp — gig lamp, 1. a lamp attached to a gig (carriage). 2. Dialect. a firefly …   Useful english dictionary

  • gig — gig1 [gig] n. [ME gigge, whirligig, prob. < Scand, as in Dan gig, whirling object, top, Norw dial. giga, to shake, totter < IE * gheigh < base * ghei , to gape > GAPE, GIGGLE] 1. a light, two wheeled, open carriage drawn by one horse… …   English World dictionary

  • Gig — Gig, n. [Cf. Icel. g[imac]gja fiddle, MHG. g[imac]ge, G. geige, Icel. geiga to take a wrong direction, rove at random, and E. jig.] 1. A top or whirligig; any little thing that is whirled round in play. [1913 Webster] Thou disputest like an… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Gig machine — Gig Gig, n. [Cf. Icel. g[imac]gja fiddle, MHG. g[imac]ge, G. geige, Icel. geiga to take a wrong direction, rove at random, and E. jig.] 1. A top or whirligig; any little thing that is whirled round in play. [1913 Webster] Thou disputest like an… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Gig mill — Gig Gig, n. [Cf. Icel. g[imac]gja fiddle, MHG. g[imac]ge, G. geige, Icel. geiga to take a wrong direction, rove at random, and E. jig.] 1. A top or whirligig; any little thing that is whirled round in play. [1913 Webster] Thou disputest like an… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Gig saw — Gig Gig, n. [Cf. Icel. g[imac]gja fiddle, MHG. g[imac]ge, G. geige, Icel. geiga to take a wrong direction, rove at random, and E. jig.] 1. A top or whirligig; any little thing that is whirled round in play. [1913 Webster] Thou disputest like an… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Gig (musical performance) — Gig is a term commonly used by bands with reference to their live shows, generally the bands play through a speaker system, more recently however, there has been the worlds first Silent Gig.The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians describes… …   Wikipedia

  • gig — Ⅰ. gig [1] ► NOUN 1) chiefly historical a light two wheeled carriage pulled by one horse. 2) a light, fast, narrow boat adapted for rowing or sailing. ORIGIN apparently from obsolete gig «a flighty girl». Ⅱ. gig [2] informal …   English terms dictionary

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