grig

grig · noun¹

The word is often used in the phrase "merry as a grig". The word is of uncertain origin, though various theories have been suggested, such as a corruption of "merry as a cricket" or "merry as a Greek", as in William Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida: "Then she's a merry Greek indeed." Johnson suggested that the word originally meant "anything below the natural size" (compare Swedish krik and Scots crick).

grig · noun²

1. Cornish · derived fromgrig
2. Welsh · derived fromgrug
3. English todaygrig

From Welsh grug, Cornish grig.

grig · verb³

1. Irish · borrowed fromgriog
2. Irish · borrowed fromgriog
3. English todaygrig

Borrowed from Irish griog.