piger

Forms

piger^[1]

Etymology

It is probably inherited from Vulgar Latin *pedicō (“to catch by the feet”), a verb formed on *pedicus (“that catches the feet, that traps”), from Latin pēs (“foot”).^[2][3][4] The TLFi derives it from the adjective itself, which spread through the Gallo-Romance dialects, and Rey thinks the verb may have reached French from a dialect.^[5][3] Wiktionary connects it with pedica (“snare, fetter”), the source of piège, and makes it a doublet of piéger.^[1][2]

P. Guiraud held that it is the same word as the schoolboys' verb meaning “to claim to be nearest the mark”, explaining both from putting one's foot on an opponent's as a sign of victory;^[3] Rey calls the idea ingenious but unsupported by documents.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Raspail's glossary in a work on prison reform (1835) gives it as a popular word meaning “to know (a trick)”.^[5][3]

Semantic evolution

The Grand Robert and the Petit Robert date the word from 1807.^[2][6] In 19th-century slang it meant “to look at” (1841), “to steal” (1842, the slang of Seine boatmen), “to take, catch” (Balzac, 1844) and “to catch in the act” (1844, whence être pigé, 1846); it was also used of catching an illness or getting a punishment, and intransitively of vying with someone (1879).^[5][3][7] All these have disappeared or become archaic.^[3]

The absolute use “to understand” began in schoolboys' slang in 1890 (piges-tu ?), and the transitive use followed (1892, the Goncourts); it is the only sense still really alive in France, and it became familiar rather than slang.^[5][3][8] In Quebec French the concrete sense “to take, draw at random” and “to dip into” is still in use.^[3][6][5] The verb gave the noun pige in faire la pige à quelqu’un “to outdo someone” (1867).^[3]

Timeline

• 1835 – Raspail records it in the sense “to know”.^[5][3]
• 1841 – Used for “to look at”.^[5][3]
• 1842 – Used for “to steal”.^[5][3]
• 1844 – Balzac uses it for “to take”.^[5][3]
• 1867 – The derived faire la pige “to outdo” appears.^[3]
• 1890 – Piges-tu ? “do you understand?” in schoolboys' slang.^[5][3][8]
• 1892 – The Goncourts' journal has the transitive sense “to understand”.^[5]

Meanings

Verb

1. (familiar) To understand, get, twig: je n’ai rien pigé à sa leçon.^[6][5][1]
2. (dated, slang) To take, catch; to steal; to catch in the act; to catch (an illness) or get (a punishment).^[5][7][6]
3. (Quebec) To draw at random, pick (a card); to dip into.^[6][5][3][1]

Related words

• piège
• piéger
• pied
• Latin pēs

Usage notes

The Grand Robert and the Petit Robert list a separate verb piger 1, “to measure with a pige” (1869), from the schoolboys' piger “to claim the advantage in a game” (1808), which was also used in printing (1881) and in journalism for “to pay by the piece” (early 20th century).^[2][6][5] The TLFi, the FEW and Bloch and Wartburg take that verb from Burgundian dialect piger “to tread, trample”, from Late Latin *pinsiō (“to pound”);^[5][9][10] Rey notes that the clash with the slang verb has made it almost disappear.^[3]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 8, 125a
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
6. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
8. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
9. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
10. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 8, 540b