As a verb, to dig means to break up and move earth or another material with a tool, machine, or hands. As a noun, a dig can be an excavation site or an unkind, teasing remark.
From Old English "dīcian" or related Germanic roots meaning "to dig" or "to make a ditch." The slang sense of "critical remark" developed much later, likely from the idea of poking at someone.
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