An expression used to mean "We have been caught out and have no defence", or if spoken to a person who's just been found out as the perpetrator of an offense, it means "You've been discovered.".
Etymology:
- Jig is an old term for a lively dance, and in the Elizabethan era the word also became slang for a practical joke or a trick. This idiom derives from this obsolete slang word.
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Submitted on September 01, 2009
Additional definitions for 'the jig is up':
| the jig is up | When one's plans, schemes, distractions, falsifications, feints, sleight of hand's, and 'dirty tricks' fail, one must admit. |
Translation
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die Luft ist raus
la plantilla está arriba
le gabarit est en place
het is voorbij
jiggen er opp
tu nie ma szans
o jogo acabou
farsa s-a terminat
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"the jig is up." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 22 Dec. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/the-jig-is-up_7415>.
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