A.Word.A.Day --jive

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jive

PRONUNCIATION:

(jyv)

MEANING:

verb tr., intr.:

1. To deceive, to flatter, to taunt, to talk nonsense.
2. To go together, to fit in.

adjective:

Insincere or deceptive.

noun:

1. Jazz or swing music and related dance.
2. Insincere, pretentious, or exaggerated talk.

ETYMOLOGY:

Origin unknown.

USAGE:

"The edict by state and city officials that we Durham residents should let water run out of faucets for three or four minutes before drinking it or using it to cook with may indeed be the solution to the lead threat that has been discovered in the city's water supply. But what if they are jiving us? Surely I'm not the only cynic."
Barry Saunders; Money Flows With Water Woes; The News & Observer (Raleigh, North Carolina); Sep 2, 2006.

"Designwise, the focus remains on the house-garden connection -- the need for garden rooms and plants to jive with architecture and interiors."
Turning over a new leaf; Los Angeles Times; May 21, 2000.

See more usage examples of jive in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

Writing the last page of the first draft is the most enjoyable moment in writing. It's one of the most enjoyable moments in life, period. -Nicholas Sparks, author (b. 1965)

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