jib1
/dʒɪb
/noun
1 Sailing A triangular staysail set forward of the mast.I have seen others opt for a cutter-type arrangement leaving the small jib and adding a genoa....
- The rig is fractional and most boats were sold with a mainsail and 120% jib as standard equipment.
- Though there were as many misses as hits, the main sail, jib, and one other were burning.
2The projecting arm of a crane.The jib or projecting arm of a crane probably derives from gibbet, and gibe and gybe are often written jibe....
- Overhead power cables broke the fall of the crane as the jib of the machine tore a gaping hole in the roof of the single storey premises.
- In yesterday's windy conditions, the front jib of the crane dangled at the former gasometer site, the damaged part swaying towards buildings.
Phrases
the cut of someone's jib
Origin
Mid 17th century: of unknown origin.
Rhymes
jib2
/dʒɪb/verb (jibs, jibbing, jibbed) [no object]
1(Of an animal, especially a horse) stop and refuse to go on: he jibbed at the final fence...
- The horses slithered down the shallow bank and onto the glassy surface at a rapid trot, but the black was mistrustful of the insecure footing and jibbed skittishly.
Synonyms
stop at, stop short at, baulk at, shy at, retreat from;
refuse
1.1(Of a person) be unwilling to do or accept something: he jibs at paying large bills...
- Dealing with declaration one, I understood that you were jibbing at the word ‘unlawfully’ in Mr Clayton's draft.
- American scholars have jibbed at adopting this usage, and many prefer terms without the denotative baggage of caste, such as ‘status groups.’
- It jibbed at invading England in 1940, though it did undertake a number of amphibious operations in the Baltic Sea in June 1941, and later in the Black Sea.
Synonyms
baulk at, fight shy of, shy away from, recoil from, shrink from, draw back from, stop short of;
be unwilling to, be reluctant to, demur at, be loath to, not want to
informal boggle at
Derivatives
jibber
- The latest piece of jibber to emanate from the mouth of Dear Leader Howard is his $900 offer for apprentices to buy a box to keep him in.
- So Mr UCDU, how about creating a namshub that could make people understand your jibber?
Origin
Early 19th century: perhaps related to French regimber (earlier regiber) 'to buck, rear'; compare with jibe3.