Gibe, Gybe, Jibe, and Jive

Gibe, Gybe, Jibe, and Jive Gibe, Gybe, Jibe, and Jive Gibe, Gybe, Jibe, and Jive By Maeve Maddox The verbs gibe, gybe, jibe and jive all begin with the sound [j] and are often confused. gibe (verb): to taunt, to insult. Example: â€Å"If he laughed instead of cried when someone  gibed  at him, often the  teasing stopped.†Ã‚   gibe (noun): a sneering comment, a taunt. Example: â€Å"The  teasing, taunts,  gibes  and hurtful acts are a part of me still.† gybe (verb): (sailing term) to shift suddenly and with force from one side to the other when a ship is steered off the wind until the sail fills on the opposite side. Alternative spelling: jibe. Examples: â€Å"As Phil slipped overboard, the  boom gybed.† â€Å"A gust of wind caught their  sail, the  boom jibed, nearly knocking Mr. Snider overboard.† jibe (verb): to make sense, to agree with, to fit in. Example: â€Å"The latest research findings jibe with those recorded in 1934.† The noun jive has these three meanings: 1. a type of fast, lively jazz Weve been wanting to  play Jive  since the band first started. 2. lively and uninhibited dancing. He doesnt quite bounce around like a rubber band during his jive, but does good enough to notch a 7-7-7. 3. talk or conversation, especially talk that is false, misleading, or worthless. It’s time to cut the jive and tell the truth. As a verb, jive can mean to play lively music or to dance to lively music. Example: They spaced each other about four feet apart and  were jiving  to the music. The verb jive can also mean, â€Å"to mislead or deceive.† Maybe the narcs  were jiving  him, maybe  they were  going to shoot him in the back. I searched his eyes for some clue that  he was jiving me. He wasnt.   The most common errors with these words are to spell gibe as jibe and to use jive in the sense of jibe. Here are some examples of misuse from the Web: Incorrect: Arizona Prison Privatization Proposal Doesnt Jive with Market Correct : Arizona Prison Privatization Proposal Doesnt Jibe with Market Incorrect:  But  my opinion  about that  doesnt jive  with everyone elses opinion.   Correct :  But  my opinion  about that  doesnt jibe with everyone elses opinion.   Incorrect: If your child is hurling his own silly  jibes at  the teaser, then its a mutual thing. Correct : If your child is hurling his own silly  gibes at  the teaser, then its a mutual thing. Incorrect: Put-downs, slurs, jibes, and innuendo of all kinds are never purposeless or harmless. Correct : Put-downs, slurs, gibes, and innuendo of all kinds are never purposeless or harmless. The Oxford English Dictionary validates the nonstandard use of jive in the sense of jibe as â€Å"U.S.† usage, but Merriam-Webster Unabridged (notorious for its tendency to embrace all types of questionable usage) does not. The only definition M-W offers for jibe is â€Å"to be in accord.† Its only definitions for the verb jive are related to music, misleading talk, and teasing. Two other much-cited American authorities are careful to distinguish between gibe and jibe: The Chicago Manual of Style A gibe is a biting insult or taunt; gibes are figuratively thrown at their target â€Å"The angry crowd hurled gibes as the suspect was led into the courthouse.† Jibe means to fit, usually with negation â€Å"The verdict didn’t jibe with the judge’s own view of the facts.† The AP Stylebook To gibe means to taunt or sneer: â€Å"They gibed him about his mistakes.† Jibe means to shift direction: â€Å"They jibed their ship across the wind.† or, colloquially, to agree: â€Å"Their stories didn’t jibe.† Summary The sailing term may be spelled either gybe or jibe. The latter is more common in US usage. The verb that means â€Å"to agree† or â€Å"to fit† is spelled jibe. The noun and verb that convey taunting are spelled gibe. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:"Based in" and "based out of"Best Websites to Learn EnglishDrama vs. Melodrama