rig
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Or trick, "spree," or performance; "run a RIG," to play a trick.—See JOHN GILPIN. "RIG the market," in reality to play tricks with it,—a mercantile slang phrase often used in the newspapers.
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Where it’s used:
Origin
British & Irish English
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “rig” mean?
Or trick, "spree," or performance; "run a RIG," to play a trick.—See JOHN GILPIN. "RIG the market," in reality to play tricks with it,—a mercantile slang phrase often used in the newspapers.
Is “rig” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.