dign.1
1.
a. An act of digging; the plunging or thrusting (of a spade, or the like) into the ground.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > earth-moving, etc. > [noun] > digging or excavating
delfeOE
gravinga1340
pioning1590
spitting1594
spading1647
effossion1657
earthwork1796
exfodiation1823
disentombment1859
earth moving1866
delve1869
dig1887
the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > breaking up land > [noun] > digging
delfeOE
pastining?1440
breaking1514
digging1552
repastination1569
potting1592
pastination1623
spade-work1778
delve1869
dig1887
1887 Pall Mall Gaz. 15 Oct. 11/1 The price which is obtained for the excavated sand..just meets the expense of the dig out.
1894 Contemp. Rev. Jan. 66 At each ‘dig’ four sets of forks are thrust into the ground.
b. colloquial. An archæological excavation; an expedition for the purpose of an archæological excavation.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > the past > history or knowledge about the past > [noun] > archaeology > archaeological expedition or excavation
dig1896
digging1911
1896 A. J. Evans in Academy 13 June 494/1 He showed me several clay bulls..obtained through his dig.
1908 Chambers's Jrnl. July 527/1 They [sc. tomb-hunters] speak of the different excavations as ‘digs’.
1911 T. E. Lawrence Lett. (1938) 112 We are only two on this dig.
1940 ‘M. Innes’ Secret Vanguard vi. 56 The dig at Dabdab must be completed before the rains.
1957 K. M. Kenyon Digging up Jericho 39 The first stages of a dig..start long before one actually gets down to excavating.
1969 Times 23 Jan. 13/1 The many archaeological digs that have been going on since the beginning of the Aswan Dam project.
2. A definite depth or quantity to be dug out.
ΚΠ
1890 Daily News 4 Sept. 6/4 For every ‘dig’ 30s. is to be paid to the gang. The ‘dig’ is to be 9 ft. measured from where the crane plumbs in the hatchway.
3. A tool for digging; a mattock, pick-axe, etc.
ΚΠ
1691 J. Ray N. Country Words in Coll. Eng. Words (ed. 2) 21 Dig, a Mattock.
1877 F. Ross et al. Gloss. Words Holderness Dig, a mattock; a navvy's pick.
1877 E. Peacock Gloss. Words Manley & Corringham, Lincs. Dig, an instrument used for stubbing up roots, more commonly called a stub-dig. ‘As straight as a dig’ is a common proverbial expression.
4.
a. A thrust, a sharp poke, as with the elbow, fist, or other part of the body.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > indication > gesturing or gesture > other gestures > [noun] > nudge
nudge1699
dig1819
1819 T. Moore Tom Crib's Memorial to Congress 51 While ribbers rung from each resounding frame, And divers digs, and many a ponderous pelt.
1823 J. Galt Ringan Gilhaize I. xi. 127 Winterton, when he lay down, gave him a deg with his elbow, and swore at him to be quiet.
1843 J. T. J. Hewlett College Life III. xxxi. (Stratm.) Brunt gave him a hard dig in the ribs.
1855 R. Browning Holy-Cross Day v Somebody deal him a dig in the paunch.
1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. xvi. 117 A vigorous dig of leg and hatchet into the snow was sufficient to check the motion.
b. figurative. (Cf. hit n.)
ΚΠ
1840 T. Hood Miss Kilmansegg ii, in New Monthly Mag. 60 258 Thus Tories love to worry the Whigs..Giving them lashes, thrashes, and digs.
1884 Pall Mall Gaz. 15 Mar. 1/2 The Opposition..caring absolutely for nothing except how to get a dig at the fellows who are in.
1887 E. J. Goodman Too Curious ix This, of course, was a sly dig at Frank.
5. A diligent or plodding student. (U.S. Students' slang.)
ΚΠ
1837 Harvardiana Apr. 158 [He] yet is no elaborate dig, Nor for rank systems cares a fig.
1849 Let. to Young Man 14 The treadmill..might be a useful appendage to a college, not as a punishment, but as a recreation for digs.
1851 Literary World (N.Y.) 11 Oct. There goes the dig..How like a parson he eyes his book!
1894 N.Y. Weekly Witness 12 Dec. 2/2 The student who earnestly pursues his scholastic studies is held to be a scrub, or grind, or dig.
6. plural. Lodgings (cf. digging n. 5); also occasionally as singular (and in combinations). colloquial.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > dwelling place or abode > accommodation or lodging > [noun] > hired lodgings
chambers1581
rooms1623
lodging1640
digging1838
set1840
digs1893
1893 Stage 11 May 16/2 ‘Being in the know’ regarding the best ‘digs’ can only be attained by experience.
1905 Varsity 16 Nov. 79/1 An invitation from a friend in digs.
1908 A. S. M. Hutchinson Once aboard Lugger i. i. 27 I have heard that one can work far better by living near the hospital in digs.
1916 W. Owen Let. 6 Nov. (1967) 414 I like this digs far better than the Queen's Hotel life.
1922 A. Sidgwick Victorian xxv. 190 He had achieved the entry of the studios through a cousin with whom he had shared digs.
1959 A. Lejeune Crowded & Dangerous vii. 78 His old digs..where he lived when he used to work for us.
1959 Times 6 Mar. 12/6 Dig-hunting is a serious business... The good woman is offering you a room in her home for a whole year.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1896; most recently modified version published online December 2020).
dign.2
Obsolete exc. dialect.
A duck.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > birds > freshwater birds > order Anseriformes (geese, etc.) > subfamily Merginae (duck) > [noun]
endea700
duck967
diga1475
redshank1567
dilly1831
quacker1832
quack1865
quack quack1870
anatine1875
a1475 Liber Cocorum (Sloane) (1862) 9 (heading) Þandon for wylde digges, swannus, and piggus.
?a1500 Chester Pl., Deluge 189 Heare are doves, diggs, drakes, Redshankes, runninge through the lakes.
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Anette, a Ducke, or Dig.
1616 Inventory of P. Oldfeild in J. P. Earwaker Hist. Anc. Parish Sandbach (1890) 135 Three Digs and a Drake.
1884 R. Holland Gloss. Words County of Chester (1886) Dig, a duck.
Compounds
Categories »
dig-bird n. Lancashire, a young duck (Halliwell).
Categories »
dig-meat n. duckweed ( Chesh. Gloss.).
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1896; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
dign.3
/dɪɡ/, U.S. /dɪɡ/, Australian English /dɪɡ/, New Zealand English /dɪɡ/ Australian and New Zealand colloquial.
= digger n. 2f.
ΘΚΠ
the world > people > nations > native or inhabitant of Antipodes > [noun] > Australasia
Australasian1815
digger1917
dig1918
1918 Chrons. N.Z.E.F. 21 June 221/2 Be shrewd, sweet Dig.
1918 Chrons. N.Z.E.F. 22 Nov. 198/1 ‘How far's the war, Dig?’ was the first question we asked.
1933 Bulletin (Sydney) 18 Oct. 10/3 He gave his verdict: ‘That's good, Dig.; that's strong.’
1946 E. G. Webber Johnny Enzed in Italy 4 The war has finished and a large number of Old Digs have bustled their way down various gangways.
1965 G. McInnes Road to Gundagai ii. 25 Often they shouted at us..‘Howsit up in the dress circle, dig?’
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1972; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
digv.
/dɪɡ/, U.S. /dɪɡ/ I. intransitive.
1.
a. ‘To work in making holes or turning the ground’ (Johnson); to make an excavation; to work with a spade or other tool similarly employed. spec. To make an archæological excavation. Locally the word was, and in some cases still is, the technical term for working with a mattock as distinguished from a spade, the latter being ‘graving’ or ‘delving’. Cf. quots. 1530, 1691; also 1611, 1888 in sense 4.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > breaking up land > break up land [verb (intransitive)] > dig
delvec1000
digc1320
spit1393
fork1647
yelve1817
graft1823
spade1869
spud1889
the world > time > relative time > the past > history or knowledge about the past > history [verb (intransitive)] > study or practise archaeology
dig1740
archaeologize1874
excave1884
trial trench1947
excavate1957
c1320 Orfeo 239 in Ritson Met. Rom. II. 258 Now he most bothe digge and wrote, Er he have his fille of rote.
c1380 Eng. Wycliffite Serm. in Sel. Wks. I. 99 Digge about þe vyne rotis.
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1871) III. 159 Þey founde a mannis hede in þat place while þey digged.
c1400 Mandeville's Trav. (1839) xxvi. 267 Thei schullen dyggen and mynen so strongly.
c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 121/1 Dyggyn, supra in delvyn.
c1440 Gesta Romanorum (Harl.) iii. 7 He toke a shoville, and dyggyd in the erthe.
c1500 Ballad on Money in J. O. Halliwell Nugæ Poeticæ (1844) 48 The plowman hymselfe dothe dyge and delve In storme, snowe, frost and rayne.
1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection iii. sig. NNiiiv They that dygge for water.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 516/1 I dygge in the grounde with a mattocke.
1607 T. Dekker Whore of Babylon sig. Bv When mines are to be blowne vp, men dig low.
1611 Bible (King James) Exod. vii 24 The Egyptians digged round about the riuer. View more context for this quotation
1691 J. Ray N. Country Words in Coll. Eng. Words (ed. 2) 21 Dig, in Yorkshire, they distinguish between digging and graving; to dig is with, a Mattock; to grave with a Spade.
1740 W. Stukeley Stonehenge x. 43 (heading) How the body is posited. What has been found in digging into these barrows.
c1755 S. Johnson Rev. Blackwell's Mem. Court Augustus in Wks. X. 185 Mr. Blackwell has neither digged in the ruins of any demolished city, nor [etc.].
1836 R. W. Emerson Spirit in Nature in Wks. (1906) II. 168 If labourers are digging in the field hard by.
1873 C. Robinson New S. Wales 35 He went so far as to recommend the unemployed miners of Cornwall to come out here and dig for it [gold].
1907 E. Wharton Fruit of Tree i. iii. 32 As an archaeologist..I should really like to come here and dig.
1911 T. E. Lawrence Lett. (1938) 125 My orders are to..bring out Woolley (new chief), and the stores and dig for three months.
1912 T. E. Lawrence Lett. (1938) 136 I would like to dig in the Persian gulf.
b. Said of animals: to excavate the ground with snout or claws.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > by habits or actions > habits and actions > [verb (intransitive)] > dig or burrow
diga1425
thirl1577
delve1727
burrow1771
bury1841
mole1856
a1425 (c1395) Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Royal) (1850) Isa. xxxiv. 15 There an irchoun hadde dichis..and diggide aboute [1382 dalf, deluede].
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Isa. xxxiv. C There shall the hedghogge buylde, digge..and bringe forth his yonge ones.
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth VIII. 122 They [sc. ants] dug deeper and deeper to deposite their eggs.
c. figurative with allusion to the general sense; also spec. to study hard and closely at a subject (U.S.). Hence, to understand (cf. sense 6c (slang (originally U.S.)).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > understanding > understand [verb (intransitive)]
seeOE
understandc1000
knowlOE
tellc1390
conceive1563
smoke1676
overstand1699
view1711
savvy1785
dig1789
twig1832
capisce1904
the mind > attention and judgement > discovery > research > seek information [verb (intransitive)]
delve1650
research1660
dig1789
1789 Trifler No. 43. 549 Youths who never digged for the rich ore of knowledge thro' the pages of the Rambler.
1801 R. Southey Thalaba I. iv. 220 'Tis a spring of living waters, Whose inexhaustible bounties all might drink But few dig deep enough.
1827 Harvard Reg. (1828) Dec. 303 Here the sunken eye and sallow countenance bespoke the man who dug sixteen hours‘ per diem’.
1869 L. M. Alcott Little Women II. xii. 177 Laurie ‘dug’ to some purpose that year.
1936 N.Y. World Telegram 6 Oct. 16/1 ‘You dig?’ is a short cut for ‘You understand?’
1952 B. Ulanov Hist. Jazz in Amer. xxiv. 344 The man who really ‘digs’ can more often than not describe the next development in jazz before the musicians have reached it.
1957 C. MacInnes City of Spades i. xi. 89 Twist now—you dig?
d. To have ‘diggings’; to lodge. colloquial.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabiting temporarily > [verb (intransitive)] > at the house of another, an inn, etc.
gesten?c1225
innc1390
host?c1450
bait1477
to be (or lie) at hosta1500
hostela1500
sojourn1573
to take up1607
guest?1615
to set upa1689
to keep up1704
to put up1706
lodge1749
room1809
hotel1889
dig1914
motel1961
1914 C. Mackenzie Sinister St. II. iii. xi. 717 Soon it would come to the point of declaring outright that he did not want to dig with him.
1919 W. T. Grenfell Labrador Doctor (1920) iv. 64 Two or three classmates would ‘dig’ together.
e. To make incisions with action resembling digging.
Π
1930 W. A. Thorpe in Connoisseur Oct. 226/2 To produce relief motives the operator has to ‘dig’ with his wheel at a steep angle to the surface.
2. With various prepositional constructions: To penetrate or make one's way into or through something by digging; to make an excavation or loosen the soil under anything.
Π
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Ezek. viii. 8 Thou sonne off man, dygge thorow the wall.
1574 J. Baret Aluearie D 607 To digge vnder an hil. Suffodere montem.
1611 Bible (King James) Job xxiv. 16 In the darke they digge through houses. View more context for this quotation
1628 T. Hobbes tr. Thucydides Peloponnesian War (1822) 76 They united themselves by digging through the common walls between house and house.
1705 J. Addison Remarks Italy 333 They have often dug into Lands that are describ'd in old Authors, as the Places where such particular Statues or Obelisks stood, and have seldom fail'd of Success.
1832 Examiner 709/2 He seemed to dig into his subject.
1865 P. H. Gosse Land & Sea (1874) 5 The little boat ploughed and dug through the green and foaming waves.
1877 F. Ross et al. Gloss. Words Holderness Dig-into, to set about a job of work in earnest and with energy.
II. transitive.† 7. To put and cover up (in the ground, etc.) by digging or delving; to bury. Cf. to dig in at Phrasal verbs.
3.
a. To penetrate and excavate or turn up (the ground, or any surface) with a spade or similar tool. spec. to excavate archæologically.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > earth-moving, etc. > [verb (transitive)] > dig (hole, etc.) > dig or break up (ground)
delvec888
dig1382
gruba1400
stubc1450
cast1497
sheugh1513
to search upc1540
stock1802
the world > time > relative time > the past > history or knowledge about the past > history [verb (transitive)] > practise archaeology
dig1743
excavate1840
archaeologize1874
1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) Ezek. viii. 8 Sone of man, dig the wal; and whanne Y hadde thurȝ diggide the wal, o dore aperide.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Trin. Cambr.) l. 6747 Þeof hous breking or diggyng ground.
1609 W. Shakespeare Pericles iv. 5 Who digs hills because they doe aspire. View more context for this quotation
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Æneis vi, in tr. Virgil Wks. 386 A rav'nous Vulture..Still for the growing Liver dig'd his Breast.
1743 W. Stukeley Abury xvi. 92 The very same appearances as I had so often seen, in digging the barrows about Stonehenge and Abury.
1912 T. E. Lawrence Lett. (1938) 134 The right way to dig a temple.
1949 W. F. Albright Archaeol. Palestine ii. 41 The initial plan to dig the great site systematically..had to be abandoned because of the prohibitive expense.
1968 R. L. S. Bruce-Mitford Sutton Hoo Ship-burial 18 It was the richest treasure ever dug from British soil.
b. Said of an animal penetrating and turning up (the ground) with its snout, etc.
Π
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xviii. cii. 1253 The wonte hatte talpa... And haþ a wrotte as a swyne and diggeþ þerwith þe erþe and casteþ vp þat he digge.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 108 The bristled Boar..New grinds his arming Tusks, and digs the Ground. View more context for this quotation
4. † b. To till (a plant) by this operation. Obsolete.† c. with together. Obsolete.
a. spec. To break up and turn over (the soil) with a mattock, spade, or the like, as an operation of tillage. (See sense 1.)
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > breaking up land > break up land [verb (transitive)] > dig
delvec888
to dig up1377
diga1425
pastine?1440
updelvec1440
upstockc1440
hack1620
pastinate1623
repastinate1623
spit1648
spittle1727
spud1828
a1425 (c1395) Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Royal) (1850) Isa. v. 6 It [a vineyard] schal not be kit, and it schal not be diggid, and breris and thornes schulen growe vp on it.
1552 R. Huloet Abcedarium Anglico Latinum Dygginge and deluinge of a ground to bring it eftsones in temper, repastinatio.
1574 J. Baret Aluearie D 607 That ye ground should be digged thre foote deepe.
1611 Bible (King James) Isa. vii. 25 And on all hilles that shalbe digged with the mattocke. View more context for this quotation
1715 J. T. Desaguliers tr. N. Gauger Fires Improv'd 114 Suppos'd to have been digg'd four Inches deep.
1888 F. T. Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. Dig, to work ground with a mattock. Ground is never said to be dug with a spade.
1889 H. H. Romilly Verandah in New Guinea 200 The first moon is spent in digging the ground.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > cultivation of plants or crops > cultivate plants or crops [verb (transitive)]
tilla1325
raisec1384
uprearc1400
nourisha1500
cherish1519
dig1526
dress1526
govern1532
manure?c1550
rear1581
nurse1594
tame1601
crop1607
cultive1614
cultivate1622
ingentle1622
tend1631
make1714
peck1728
grow1774
farm1793
culture1809
side-dress1888
double-crop1956
produce2006
1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection ii. sig. Oviv We..shulde nat onely dygge our vyne wele by compunction.
1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry ii. f. 82 The plantes of a yeere..must be discreetely digged and dounged.
1626 F. Bacon Sylua Syluarum §622 The Vines..are..so much digged and dressed, that their Sap spendeth into the Grapes.
Π
1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum (Tollem. MS.) (1495) xiii. xxix On his rigge pouder and erþe is gaderid, and so digged to gederes, þat herbes and smale tren and busches groweþ þeron, so þat þe gret fische semeþ an ylonde.
5. To make (a hole, hollow place, mine, etc.) by the use of a mattock, spade, or the like; to form by digging; to hollow out; to excavate.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > earth-moving, etc. > [verb (intransitive)] > dig or excavate
gravea1000
delvec1000
wrootc1325
minec1330
gruba1350
sinkc1358
undermine1382
diga1387
spit1393
to pick upc1400
holk1513
graff1532
pion1643
excavate1843
throw1843
crow1853
spade1869
society > occupation and work > industry > earth-moving, etc. > [verb (transitive)] > dig (hole, etc.)
delvec825
graveOE
sinkc1358
diga1387
holkc1400
cast1481
to dig up1551
moil1581
effodiate1612
diffode1657
to dig out1748
burrow1831
excavate1839
crow1853
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1865) I. 159 Some diggeþ caues and dennes.
a1425 (c1395) Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Royal) (1850) Num. xxi. 18 The pit which the princes diggiden [1382 delueden, doluen].
c1430 J. Lydgate Minor Poems (1840) 113 To here hys dyrge do, and se hys pet deggyd.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Gen. xxi. D I haue dygged this well.
c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 11363 Þai droppe in the dike þai deghit have for vs.
1579–80 T. North tr. Lucullus in Plutarch Lives 569 in Wright Bible Word-bk. So did Xerxes..cause..a channell to be digged there to passe his shippes through.
1600 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 2 iv. iii. 239 Then get thee gone, and digge my graue thy selfe. View more context for this quotation
1606 True Relation Proc. at Arraignm. Late Traitors 7 To digge a certain mine under the sayd House of Parliament.
1653 H. Holcroft tr. Procopius Gothick Warre ii. 49 in tr. Procopius Hist. Warres Justinian Anciently there was no passage through, but in time a way was dig'd through it.
1697 W. Dampier New Voy. around World iv. 85 In working their Canoas hollow, they cannot dig them so neat and thin [with stone hatchets].
1697 W. Dampier New Voy. around World viii. 215 Making a Canoa... Then again they turn her, and dig the inside.
1796 H. Hunter tr. J.-H. B. de Saint-Pierre Stud. Nature (1799) I. 2 The child, who, with a shell, had dug a hole in the sand, to hold the water of the Ocean.
1816 H. Douglas Ess. Mil. Bridges 19 Torrents..dig for themselves beds approaching to this form.
1864 W. H. Ainsworth John Law I. i. iv. 200 He..is ever digging mines under our feet.
6.
a. To obtain or extract by excavation; to exhume, unearth; = to dig out or to dig up at Phrasal verbs. Const. from, out of.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > earth-moving, etc. > [verb (transitive)] > dig (hole, etc.) > dig up (object)
upgravea1340
digc1350
to dig upc1400
to dig outa1425
unearthc1450
holk1554
moil1581
sprittle1585
effodicate1599
moot1610
effode1657
to cast up1660
to rough out1834
exter1835
excavate1848
crow1853
stub1927
c1350 Will. Parlerne 2243 Þat werkmen forto worche ne wonne þidere sone, Stifly wiþ strong tol ston stifly to digge.
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1865) I. 271 In Gallia beþ many good quarers and noble for to digge stoon.
1565–73 T. Cooper Thesaurus Argilletum..a place where clay is digged.
1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World xviii. xvii, in Wright Bible Word-bk. This same toad must be digged out of the ground againe.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) ii. ii. 167 I with my long nayles will digge thee pig-nuts. View more context for this quotation
a1661 T. Fuller Worthies (1662) Wales 4 Metalls elsewhere are digged..out of the Bowells of the Earth.
1664 B. Gerbier Counsel to Builders (new ed.) i. sig. d Chalk..is daily digged here at home.
1678 R. Cudworth True Intellect. Syst. Universe i. v. 681 To declare out of what Quarry the Stones were dugg.
1682 N. Crouch Admirable Curiosities (1684) 30 Rocks out of which the Tinn is digged.
1726 G. Leoni tr. L. B. Alberti Architecture I. 31 We are..not to make our Bricks of Earth fresh dug, but to dig it in the Autumn.
1837 W. Irving Adventures Capt. Bonneville II. 221 The Indians..come to it in the summer time to dig the camash root.
1896 N.E.D. at Dig Mod. The cottagers were busy digging their potatoes.
b. to dig a badger.
Π
1706 Phillips's New World of Words (new ed.) To Dig a Badger (in the Hunter's Language) is to raise or dislodge him.
1721–1800 in N. Bailey Universal Etymol. Eng. Dict.
1869 J. C. Atkinson Peacock's Gloss. Dial. Hundred of Lonsdale Dig, to start a badger.
c. slang (originally U.S.). (a) To understand, appreciate, like, admire; (b) to look at or listen to; to experience. Cf. sense 1c.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > understanding > understand [verb (transitive)]
yknoweOE
acknowOE
anyeteOE
latchc1000
undernimc1000
understandc1000
underyetec1000
afindOE
knowOE
seeOE
onfangc1175
takec1175
underfindc1200
underfonga1300
undertakea1300
kenc1330
gripea1340
comprehend1340
comprendc1374
espyc1374
perceivea1387
to take for ——?1387
catcha1398
conceivea1398
intenda1400
overtakea1400
tenda1400
havec1405
henta1450
comprise1477
skilla1500
brook1548
apprend1567
compass1576
perstanda1577
endue1590
sound1592
engrasp1593
in1603
fathom1611
resent1614
receivea1616
to take up1617
apprehend1631
to take in1646
grasp1680
understumblec1681
forstand1682
savvy1686
overstand1699
uptake1726
nouse1779
twig1815
undercumstand1824
absorb1840
sense1844
undercumstumble1854
seize1855
intelligize1865
dig1935
read1956
1935 Hot News Sept. 20/2 If you listen enough, and dig him enough, you will realise that that..riff is the high-spot of the record.
1941 Life 15 Dec. 89 Dig me?
1943 M. Shulman Barefoot Boy 90 Awful fine slush pump, I mean awful fine. You ought to dig that.
1944 C. Calloway Hepsters Dict. Dig v.—(1) Meet. (2) Look, see. (3) Comprehend, understand.
1944 M. Zolotow Never whistle in Dressing Room iii. 52 When they see a pretty girl they shout, ‘Dig the chick.’
1947 R. de Toledano Frontiers of Jazz p. x I recognize it when I see it, the same as I dig good Jazz when I hear it.
1949 L. Feather Inside Be-bop iii. 28 Dizzy didn't dig the band's kind of music and the band didn't dig Dizzy.
1958 Punch 8 Jan. 92/1 The lines of communication get tangled. In other words the people don't quite ‘dig’ you.
1958 Listener 29 May 912/1 He wants to ‘dig’ the whole of life, and is convinced that experience comes only to the irresponsible.
1958 Punch 25 June 853/3 Does the beat generation really dig such crazy old-world catch-phrases?
1959 C. MacInnes Absolute Beginners 60 If you like the other number, I mean like the looks of them, really dig them sexually.
1959 C. MacInnes Absolute Beginners 62 Everything you learned, you hadn't learned until you'd really dug it: i.e., made it part of your own experience.
1960 N. Mitford Don't tell Alfred xviii. 192 Of course he's a man's man, you might not dig him like we do.
1969 New Yorker 29 Nov. 48/1 I just don't dig any of these guys. I don't understand their scenes.
ΘΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > covering > cover [verb (transitive)] > cover over or up > under the ground or bury
delvec1175
indelve1382
mine?1440
dig1530
bury1535
inter1601
inhume1626
turf1628
earthen1708
inearth1801
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 516/1 I wyll dygge this dogge in to the grounde somwhere for feare of stynkyng.
1608 E. Topsell Hist. Serpents 286 All the winter-time they digge themselues into the earth.
1647 J. Trapp Comm. Evangelists & Acts (Matt. v. 15) Such idle servants as..dig their talents into the earth.
8. To thrust, plunge, or force (something) in or into.
ΘΠ
the world > space > place > placing or fact of being placed in (a) position > insertion or putting in > insert or put in [verb (transitive)] > forcibly
thrustc1175
quevena1400
stopc1480
ingyre1513
ram1519
dig1553
intrude1563
purr1574
spring1597
grub1607
inject1611
ingest1617
sock1843
to dig in1885
1553 T. Wilson Arte of Rhetorique 107 As though a sworde were ofte digged and thrust twise or thrise in one place of the bodie.
1832 L. Hunt Sir Ralph Esher II. iii. 203 Delighting, as he went over the noble Lord, to dig his knuckles in his back.
1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. xi. 77 We..dug our feet firmly into the snow.
1883 F. M. Peard Contradictions i He dug his hands into his pockets, and lounged off.
1893 F. C. Selous Trav. S.-E. Afr. 37 I dug my spurs into my horse's ribs.
9. To spur (a horse) vigorously [= French diguer un cheval]; to thrust, stab, prod; to give (any one) a sharp thrust or nudge (in the ribs, etc.).
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > transport > riding on horse (or other animal) > ride (a horse or other animal) [verb (transitive)] > urge on > spur
prickc1250
spurc1275
broach1330
prochea1425
strike1487
punye1488
chargea1500
spura1500
dig1530
to put (also set) (the) spurs to1553
spur1582
spura1644
rowel1765
society > communication > indication > gesturing or gesture > other gestures > [verb (transitive)] > nudge
nudge1675
huncha1852
nug1866
dig1889
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 516/1 I dygge my horse in the sydes with my spores.
1551 R. Robinson tr. T. More Vtopia sig. Li You shulde haue sene children..digge and pushe their mothers vnder the sides.
1875 Ld. Tennyson Queen Mary ii. iii. 89 Gamble thyself at once out of my sight, Or I will dig thee with my dagger.
1881 Mrs. P. O'Donoghue Ladies on Horseback 68 I dug him with my spur, and sent him at it.
1889 J. S. Farmer Americanisms To dig a man in the ribs, is to give him a thrust or blow in the side.
Phrasal verbs
In combination with adverbs. to dig down to dig in † 1. transitive. To pierce, stab, penetrate. Obsolete. (Cf. 9.) to dig off to dig out figurative.1864 R. B. Kimball Was he Successful? II. xi. 259 It was their habit to go over their lessons together, after Chellis had ‘dug out’ his.1877 Gentleman's Mag. 240 596 This last-named prince..had hidden himself in a cupboard in the midst of a roll of carpet, and was with difficulty dug out to be girt with the sword of Othman.1887 Harper's Mag. May 884/2 I don't believe it is worth while to dig out the glasses.1929 ‘P. Williams’ Jacob's Ladder xix. 269 It was Carolyn who..dug out two old volumes of eighteenth century pictures lying forgotten in a cupboard.1930 Daily Express 30 July 3/7 England..may need more batsmen of the type who have to be dug out.1968 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 3 Feb. B2/2 The Europeans..can dig out many reasons for their shortcomings. to dig up figurative.1611 Bible (King James) Prov. xvi. 27 An vngodly man diggeth vp euill: and in his lips there is a burning fire. View more context for this quotation1861 J. Bright in Parl. Deb. 3rd Ser. 162 72 A Committee to dig up all questions of our supposed peril.1895 Cent. Mag. Sept. 674/1 I heard he was tryin' to dig up a trade with a man who's got a mine over in the Slocan country.1909 ‘O. Henry’ Options 50 Ogden digs up a deck of cards, and we play casino.1959 I. Opie & P. Opie Lore & Lang. Schoolchildren iii. 53 ‘Tell us news, not history.’ ‘Where did you dig that up?’
1. transitive. To bring down or cause to fall by digging.
ΘΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > causing to come or go down > cause to come or go down [verb (transitive)] > bring to the ground/lay low > cause to fall by digging
to dig down1526
to shovel down1563
1526 Bible (Tyndale) Rom. xi. 3 Lorde, they haue..dygged doune [so 1611 and 1881 R. V.] thyn alters.
1574 J. Baret Aluearie D 599 To digge downe. Defodio.
a1620 M. Fotherby Atheomastix (1622) ii. vii. §4. 268 Wicked Citizens..doe overthrow their owne Cities, and digge downe their Walls.
2. To lower or remove by digging or excavating.
ΘΠ
the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > vertical extent > lack of height > make low(er) [verb (transitive)] > by digging
to dig down1591
1591 E. Spenser Virgil's Gnat in Complaints sig. H2 Mount Athos..was digged downe.
1778 R. Lowth Isaiah (ed. 12) Notes 313 She ordered the precipices to be digged down.
3. intransitive. To pay money from one's own pocket. U.S. colloquial.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > payment > pay [verb (intransitive)] > pay up or out
to shell out1821
dub1823
stump1828
to stump up1836
tip1847
cash1854
to ante up1861
to fund up1888
pony1894
brass1898
cough1920
to pay up1941
to dig down1942
1942 in L. V. Berrey & M. Van den Bark Amer. Thes. Slang §550/3.
1951 J. Steinbeck About Ed Ricketts in J. Steinbeck & E. F. Ricketts Log from ‘Sea of Cortez’ p. xxvi She was a wise and tolerant pushover for any hard-luck story... Even when she knew it was a fake she dug down.
2. To put in and cover up by digging. (Cf. dig into in 7.)
Π
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 516/1 He hath dygged hym in nat withstandyng his almayne ryvettes.
1839 Penny Cycl. XIV. 402/2 The dung..may be dug in without fermentation for most kitchen-garden crops.
3. To cause to penetrate, to drive in deeply. (Cf. 8) Colloquial phrase to dig in one's feet, to dig in one's heels, to dig in one's toes: to adopt a firm position; to keep resolutely or obstinately to one's decision, opinion, attitude, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > placing or fact of being placed in (a) position > insertion or putting in > insert or put in [verb (transitive)] > forcibly
thrustc1175
quevena1400
stopc1480
ingyre1513
ram1519
dig1553
intrude1563
purr1574
spring1597
grub1607
inject1611
ingest1617
sock1843
to dig in1885
the mind > will > decision > constancy or steadfastness > be constant or steadfast [verb (intransitive)]
standeOE
cleavec1275
to stand stiffa1290
stick1447
to stand or stick to one's tackling1529
to stand in this1538
to set down (the or one's) staff1584
to stand one's ground1600
to stand to one's pan pudding1647
to maintain one's ground1736
to nail one's colours (also flag) to the mast (also masthead)1808
to stay put1843
to stand firm1856
to sit tight1890
to keep the flag flying1914
to dig in one's toes1933
to hold the line1956
the mind > will > decision > obstinacy or stubbornness > be or become obstinate or stubborn [verb (intransitive)]
persist1531
to stand in this1538
to make it tougha1549
obdure1609
opiniatre1678
to ride rusty1709
to dig in one's toes1933
1885 Sat. Rev. 6 June 765/2 [Dæmons]..laughing with glee if the..rider cursed or dug in the spurs.
1933 Punch 16 Aug. 174/1 I am prepared to declare mosques open and to grace the inaugurations of new caravanserais, though I personally have no taste for ritual. But at that point I dig in my toes.
1941 L. A. G. Strong Bay 179 One thing I had dug in my heels over was the church I went to.
1956 N. Coward South Sea Bubble i. i. 8 You jumped at him before he had time to get his breath and now he's dug his feet in.
4. intransitive or reflexive. To fix oneself firmly in a position; spec. (a) Military to excavate a trench or the like in order to withstand an attack or consolidate a position; (b) Cricket to consolidate one's position as a batter.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > position or situation > be positioned or situated [verb (intransitive)] > take up position > firmly or with sure foothold
roota1382
foota1425
to fix the foot or footing1582
haft1725
to dig in1851
society > armed hostility > defence > defensive work(s) > earthwork or rampart > build rampart [verb (intransitive)] > dig trenches
to break (the) ground1678
to dig in1917
1851 Knickerbocker 38 183 [The crab] pinched, scratched, ‘dug in’, and held on.
1917 A. G. Empey From Fire Step 145 The machine-gunners went over with the fourth wave to consolidate the captured line, or ‘dig in’, as Tommy calls it.
1919 J. B. Morton Barber of Putney xvi. 263 Word came back that they [sc. a platoon] were to go to a certain point and dig in.
1922 Daily Mail 21 Nov. 8 The most alarming of Sir Percival Phillips's disclosures is that our ‘limpets’ in Mesopotamia are digging themselves vigorously in.
1934 C. Day Lewis Hope for Poetry vii. 41 D. H. Lawrence dug himself in in the Unconscious.
1944 E. Blunden Cricket Country iv. 49 Such a side is free from the solemn rule of ‘digging in’ which big cricket prescribes.
1949 Manch. Guardian Weekly 14 July 2/4 The policy of stimulating expansion rather than digging in to protect the status quo.
1959 Times 29 May 4/4 Watson was bowled by the second ball he received. But..Phillips dug in with gallant determination.
5. intransitive. To set to work earnestly and energetically; to work hard. dialect and U.S. colloquial.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > undertaking > beginning action or activity > begin action or activity [verb (intransitive)] > resolutely or energetically
to go to it1490
busklea1535
settle1576
to lay on1587
to put in (also get into) one's gearsa1658
to put (occasionally lay, set) one's shoulder to the wheel1678
yark1721
to get going1822
to pitch in1835
to roll up one's sleeves1838
square1849
to clap on1850
to wire in (also away)1864
to dig in1884
hunker1903
tie into1904
to get cracking1937
to get stuck in1938
to get weaving1942
to get it on1954
1877 F. Ross et al. Gloss. Words Holderness 53/2 Dig-intiv it, lads, and you'll seean get it deean.]
1884 ‘M. Twain’ Adventures Huckleberry Finn xxxviii. 325 We got to dig in like all git-out.
1951 F. S. Anthony Me & Gus (1953) 26 We'll dig in like niggers, Mark, and show those old jokers over the fence how to smack up wood.
6. To begin eating, esp. heartily. colloquial.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > consumption of food or drink > eating > eat [verb (intransitive)] > begin to eat
to fall aboard1498
to fall to1577
to stand toa1616
win to1816
to get to1827
to dig in1912
1912 Dial. Notes 3 574 Dig in and help us eat the rest of this turkey.
1952 A. Baron With Hope, Farewell iv. ii. 119 Sit down and dig in. Your grub's getting cold.
transitive. To cut off by digging. rare.
ΚΠ
1655 T. Stanley Hist. Philos. I. i. 92 He attempted to dig the Isthmus off from the continent.
1. transitive. To take out, thrust out, extract or remove by excavation. (Cf. 6) figurative to obtain, get hold of, or get out by search or effort.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > removal or displacement > extraction > extract [verb (transitive)] > dig out or up
delvec1000
upgravea1340
undelve1340
grubc1374
to dig upc1400
to dig outa1425
unearthc1450
sprittle1585
effode1657
to cast up1660
exhume1783
moot1823
excavate1848
lift1883
spud1886
pig-root1890
the mind > possession > acquisition > obtain or acquire [verb (transitive)] > obtain or acquire in a certain way > by care or effort > by exertion
to dig upc1400
to dig outa1425
tuga1657
rustle1844
to scare up1846
quarry1847
flog1959
society > occupation and work > industry > earth-moving, etc. > [verb (transitive)] > dig (hole, etc.) > dig up (object)
upgravea1340
digc1350
to dig upc1400
to dig outa1425
unearthc1450
holk1554
moil1581
sprittle1585
effodicate1599
moot1610
effode1657
to cast up1660
to rough out1834
exter1835
excavate1848
crow1853
stub1927
a1425 (c1395) Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Royal) (1850) Job iii. 21 As men diggynge..out [1382 deluende out] tresour.
1526 Bible (Tyndale) Gal. iv. 15 Ye wolde have digged [1534 plucked] out youre awne eyes, and haue geven them to me.
1574 J. Baret Aluearie D 607 To digge out ones eyes. Elidere alicui oculos.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost i. 690 Soon had his crew Op'nd into the Hill a spacious wound And dig'd out ribs of Gold. View more context for this quotation
1772 C. Hutton Princ. Bridges 94 The sand having been previously digged out for that purpose.
1847–78 J. O. Halliwell Dict. Archaic & Provinc. Words Dig out, to unearth the badger.
2. To excavate, to form by excavation. Cf. dugout adj. and n. (canoe).
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > earth-moving, etc. > [verb (transitive)] > dig (hole, etc.)
delvec825
graveOE
sinkc1358
diga1387
holkc1400
cast1481
to dig up1551
moil1581
effodiate1612
diffode1657
to dig out1748
burrow1831
excavate1839
crow1853
1748 tr. P. Lozano True Relation Earthquake Lima Pref. 9 These usually were Caves, or Hollows dug-out in the Mountains.
3. intransitive. To depart, elope. (U.S. colloquial)
ΚΠ
1884 ‘M. Twain’ Adventures Huckleberry Finn xi. 92 Then I jumped in the canoe and dug out for our place..as hard as I could go.
1888 Detroit Free Press 21 July in J. S. Farmer Americanisms (1889) She dug out last night with a teamster.
1. transitive. To take or get out of the ground, etc., by digging or excavating; to exhume, disinter, unearth. Also figurative to obtain, find, search out (cf. to dig out 1 at Phrasal verbs) (now colloquial); occasionally intransitive. to dig up the hatchet, to renew strife: see hatchet n. (Cf. 6.)
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > removal or displacement > extraction > extract [verb (transitive)] > dig out or up
delvec1000
upgravea1340
undelve1340
grubc1374
to dig upc1400
to dig outa1425
unearthc1450
sprittle1585
effode1657
to cast up1660
exhume1783
moot1823
excavate1848
lift1883
spud1886
pig-root1890
the mind > possession > acquisition > obtain or acquire [verb (transitive)] > obtain or acquire in a certain way > by care or effort > by exertion
to dig upc1400
to dig outa1425
tuga1657
rustle1844
to scare up1846
quarry1847
flog1959
society > occupation and work > industry > earth-moving, etc. > [verb (transitive)] > dig (hole, etc.) > dig up (object)
upgravea1340
digc1350
to dig upc1400
to dig outa1425
unearthc1450
holk1554
moil1581
sprittle1585
effodicate1599
moot1610
effode1657
to cast up1660
to rough out1834
exter1835
excavate1848
crow1853
stub1927
c1400 Mandeville's Trav. (1839) ix. 107 He [John the Baptist] was..buryed at Samarie. And there let Julianus Apostata dyggen him vp.
c1425 Seven Sag. (P.) 1126 I se a gras of grete solas, Were hyt dyggyd uppe by the rote, Of many thyngs hit myght be bote.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Job iii. 21 Those that dygge vp treasure.
1594 W. Shakespeare Titus Andronicus v. i. 135 Oft haue I digd vp dead men from their graues. View more context for this quotation
1723 J. Woodward Ess. Nat. Hist. Earth (ed. 3) 81 There are dig'd up Trees..in some Northern Islands, in which there are at this Day growing no Trees at all.
1726 J. Swift Gulliver I. ii. vii. 133 Huge Bones and Sculls casually dug up in several Parts of the Kingdom.
1858 G. Glenny Gardener's Every-day Bk. (new ed.) 267/1 Jerusalem Artichokes, Dig them up if it be not done already.
1889 J. S. Farmer Americanisms To dig up the hatchet, a phrase decidedly Indian in origin..This [the hatchet] was buried to signify the putting away of strife; and digging up the hatchet, meant a renewal of warfare.
1910 W. M. Raine Bucky O'Connor 21 Dig up, Mr. Pullman, Go way down into your jeans.
2. To excavate, break up or open by digging.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > earth-moving, etc. > [verb (transitive)] > dig (hole, etc.)
delvec825
graveOE
sinkc1358
diga1387
holkc1400
cast1481
to dig up1551
moil1581
effodiate1612
diffode1657
to dig out1748
burrow1831
excavate1839
crow1853
1551 R. Robinson tr. T. More Vtopia sig. Gviv Kyng Vtopus..caused .xv. myles space of vplandyshe grounde..to be cut and dygged vp. And so brought the sea rounde aboute the lande.
1595 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 3 i. iii. 28 Should I dig vp thy forefathers graues, And hang their rotten coffins vp in chaines.
1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. IV. 132 The English government would be unable to equip a fleet without digging up the cellars of London in order to collect the nitrous particles from the walls.
3. To break up and loosen the soil of, by digging: said esp. of a place not previously or recently dug.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > breaking up land > break up land [verb (transitive)] > dig
delvec888
to dig up1377
diga1425
pastine?1440
updelvec1440
upstockc1440
hack1620
pastinate1623
repastinate1623
spit1648
spittle1727
spud1828
1377 W. Langland Piers Plowman B. vi. 109 Dikeres & delueres digged vp þe balkes.
1799 J. Robertson Gen. View Agric. Perth 247 He directs the moss to be delved or dug up with spades.
1814 Temple Wks. III. 239 You cannot dig up your garden too often.
1888 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Robbery under Arms I. i. 13 He dug up a little garden in front.
Derivatives
digged adj. /dɪɡd/
/dɪɡd/Π
1552 R. Huloet Abcedarium Anglico Latinum Dygged, fossitius.
1600 R. Surflet tr. C. Estienne & J. Liébault Maison Rustique ii. liv. 383 In a well husbanded and digged ground.
1617 Janua Linguarum 170 Souldiers..lie in digged trenches.
ˈdigging adj.
Π
c1394 P. Pl. Crede 504 Þat was þe dygginge devel þat dreccheþ men ofte.
Draft additions June 2016
colloquial. to dig deep.
a. to dig deep (into one's pockets) and variants: to spend a lot of one's own money, to draw heavily on available financial resources; (esp.) to contribute generously to a person, group, or cause.
ΚΠ
1898 Daily Leader (Bloomington, Illinois) 14 Feb. 8/2 A prominent business man..has promised to dig deep in his pockets..to make the second annual event..[a] greater success than the first.
1900 Boston Post 22 Aug. 7/2 American travellers and tourists, who cannot ‘dig deep’ enough in trousers or wallets to allow of a European trip on one of the big liners.
1975 MacGregor (Manitoba) Herald 28 Oct. 8/8 A little town is where businessmen dig deep many times to help with countless fund-raising projects.
1999 H. Wray Japanese & Amer. Educ. 145 Those parents who want their children to enter Tokyo University today must dig deep into their pockets to send their children to..expensive private schools.
2010 TNT Mag 12 Apr. 23/1 You started out as a busker so do you dig deep for them now?
b. To draw on one’s innermost physical or mental resources; to make one's best efforts.
Π
1960 Lethbridge (Alberta) Herald 30 July 21/8 There is no sure-fire formula to acquire a so-called good personality. If you want to change yours, you have to dig deep.
1976 Observer 2 May 23/2 Miss Mottram,..was being made to run hard and dig deep on the dusty red court to stay in the game.
1999 T. Davis & T. P. Ariki Vaka (ed. 2) v. 74 Rangi's desire to learn was insatiable... He had to dig deep to keep up with the boy's intelligence and enthusiasm.
2013 Cricketer Nov. 9/3 His greatest triumph came in the winter of 2000–01, when England dug deep to deliver back-to-back series wins in Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1896; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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