jive

Meaning

Verb

1. (colloquial) To deceive; to be deceptive.
2. (colloquial) To dance, originally to jive or swing music; later, to jazz, rock and roll, rhythm and blues, disco, etc.

Noun

1. A dance style popular in the 1940–50s.
2. Swing, a style of jazz music.
3. A slang associated with jazz musicians; hepcat patois or hipster jargon.
4. (colloquial) Synonym of bullshit: patent nonsense, transparently deceptive talk.
5. (colloquial) African-American Vernacular English.

Synonyms

balderdash

eyewash

idle talk

kid

🧒

swing

swing music

tease

wind

idle gossip

idle chit-chat

mindless ranting

jitterbug

lie

nonsense

prevaricate

tell a lie

bullshit

cajole

fast dance

cheat

talk nonsense

fib

fool

fool around

talk

🗣️

chatter

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈd͡ʒaɪv/

Etymology

Unknown. Slang attested in African-American and rural American culture. Frequently used to imply lying, verbal deception or trickery. Has a possible historical antecedent in gyve (“shackle”). Alternatively, of African origin, compare Wolof jev, jeu (“to talk about someone absent, especially in a disparaging manner”).