jive

(jīv)

a. Jazz or swing music.

b. The jargon of jazz musicians and enthusiasts.

2. Slang Deceptive, nonsensical, or glib talk: "the sexist, locker-room jive of men boasting and bonding" (Trip Gabriel).

v. jived, jiv·ing, jives

v.intr.

1. To play or dance to jive music.

2. Slang

a. To talk in an exaggerated, teasing, or misleading way.

b. To talk or chat: "You just jive in one big group, putting each other on, trying to top the last line" (Time).

3. (Usage Problem) To be in accord.

v.tr. Slang

To speak to (someone) in an exaggerated, teasing, or misleading way.

adj. Slang

Misleading, phony, or worthless: talking jive nonsense.

[Origin unknown.]

jiv′er n.

jiv′ey, jiv′y adj.

Usage Note: The verb jive is often used in place of its near sound-alike jibe to mean "to be compatible, agree." The Usage Panel views this as a mistake. In our 2004 survey, 93 percent of the Panel rejected the sentence The two accounts of the incident didn't quite jive.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

jivey

jivy

adj, -vier or -viest

jazzy, lively

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

References in periodicals archive

FRANNIE AND TIMOTHY: "If the words sound queer and funny to your ear, /A little bit jumbled and jivey, /Sing 'Mares eat oats/And does eat oats/And little lambs eat ivy.'" (They go again, faster, having fun) "Mairzy doats and dozy doats/And liddle lamzy divey/A kiddley divey too, /Wooden shoe?"

Good for Otto

Although some may find it disrespectful to refer to koans as "jivey passages," (pp.

Fathering Your Father: The Zen of Fabrication in Tang Buddhism

(Mark Moseley substitutes as the jivey fire-breather's voice, and he's quite funny.) But most other vocal talents from the earlier film, including Lea Salonga as Mulan's singing voice, are on hand for repeat performances, and the newcomers--including Liu, Tom and Oh--are welcome additions to what promises to be an ongoing vidpic franchise.

Mulan II

All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.