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.
The same word that describes moving earth also describes poking at someone with words. Both senses share the idea of penetrating below the surface—whether into the ground or into someone’s feelings.
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