Past tense of gig; performed a live musical performance or caught fish with a spear-like tool called a gig.
From 'gig,' which originated in the 1700s. The musical performance sense comes from 'gig' meaning a small, nimble horse or carriage, metaphorically applied to quick performances. The fishing sense derives from a pronged spear used to catch fish.
The word 'gig' as a live performance is relatively modern slang that exploded with the punk and rock scenes of the 1970s, but musicians have been doing 'gigs' since at least the 1930s—it started as jazz jargon and stuck around.
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