verb General Slang

Dig

/dɪɡ/ · verb · slang

To understand, appreciate, or pay close attention to something.

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Definitions

1

To enjoy or appreciate something deeply.

“I really dig that horn player's style.”
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2

To look at or take notice of, often as a command to pay attention.

“Dig that fine gal by the door.”
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3

To understand or comprehend something, especially something subtle or hip.

“You dig what I'm laying down?”
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Dig In A Sentence

Can you dig it, gate?
I dig the way she swings on that piano.
Dig the threads on that hep cat.

Origin & Usage

1930s-40s Black American jive slang from Harlem jazz circles, possibly from the Wolof 'dega' (to understand) brought through African American Vernacular English. It appears in hepster dictionaries of the Cab Calloway era and later spread into 1950s-60s mainstream slang.

Variants diggindug

People Also Ask

What does dig mean in jive slang?

It means to understand, appreciate, or pay attention to something.

Where did 'dig' come from?

From 1930s-40s Black jazz and jive culture in Harlem, with possible roots in the Wolof word 'dega,' meaning to understand.

Is 'dig' still used today?

Yes, though it now carries a retro flavor; it stayed alive through beatnik and hippie talk.

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