zigzag, n., adj., and adv.
Forms:
Also as two words or with hyphen; also 1700s zic-zac, zigzac(k, ziczag.(Show Less)
Frequency (in current use):
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Etymology: < French zigzag (1680 in Hatzfeld & Darmesteter); ultimate origin unknown; partly symbolic, the two different vowels suggesting the two different directions. Compare German zickzack (Sperander, 1727), said to be first used of fortifications (sense A. 3a).
A. n.
1.
a. A series of short lines inclined at angles in alternate directions; a line or course having sharp turns of this kind; concrete something characterized by such lines or turns. Originally in in zigzag (= French en zigzag).
1712 J. James tr. A.-J. Dézallier d'Argenville Theory & Pract. Gardening 42
Steps of Grass laid in Zic-Zac [Note, The French call this an Allée en Zic-Zac, for its Likeness to a Machine so called].
1712 J. James tr. A.-J. Dézallier d'Argenville Theory & Pract. Gardening 215
Chevrons, or Checks of Grass in Zig-Zac.
1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Alley
An Alley in Ziczac, is that which has too great a Descent.
1822 J. Parkinson Outl. Oryctol. 139
The larger tubercles placed in zig-zag.
1892 E. Reeves Homeward Bound 299
Entering by the beautiful Gate of Justice, and winding in zigzag through the thickness of the tower.
1766 G. Colman & D. Garrick Clandestine Marriage ii. ii. 28
Here's none of your strait lines here—but all taste—zig-zag—crinkum-crankum—in and out.
1830 M. Donovan Domest. Econ. I. vii. 235
Twisted into a serpent, or bent into a zig-zag.
1856 C. Merivale Hist. Romans under Empire IV. xl. 495
The other [road] was practicable for carriages, and for this purpose was made to climb the acclivity with a zigzag.
1871 A. Nesbitt Catal. Slade Coll. Glass 6
Terminating with a turquoise zig-zag.
1880 G. Meredith Tragic Comedians II. iii. 36
Dashing his finger in a fiery zig-zag along the line for her pen to follow.
1884 J. Ruskin Pleasures Eng.
(1885)
iii. §87. 121
The hieroglyphic use of the zigzag, for water, by the Egyptians.
1712—1892(Hide quotations)
b. Each of such lines or turns: chiefly in plural.
1743 A. Pope Dunciad
(rev. ed.)
i. 124
Nonsense precipitate, like running Lead, That slip'd thro' Cracks and Zig-zags of the Head.
1775 R. Twiss Trav. Portugal & Spain 64
A winding road, which forms thirteen zig-zags.
1833 L. Ritchie Wanderings by Loire 182
A cap, laced and ribanded in all manner of zig-zags.
a1861 A. H. Clough Poems & Prose Remains
(1869)
II. 291
The lightning zigzags shoot across the sky.
1865 G. MacDonald Alec Forbes lxxiv
The button made many a zigzag from side to side of the table.
1875 A. W. Bennett & W. T. T. Dyer tr. J. von Sachs Text-bk. Bot. 742
The grand curve of growth..does not assume the form of a continuous curve, but shows a number of small zigzags.
1743—1875(Hide quotations)
c. figurative.
1782 W. Cowper Conversation in Poems 255
Though such continual zigzags in a book, Such drunken reelings have an aukward look.
1796 E. Burke Two Lett. Peace Regicide Directory France in Wks.
(1842)
II. 311
The fanaticks going straight forward and openly, the politicians by the surer mode of zigzag.
1816 J. Austen Emma I. xv. 282
The little zigzags of embarrassment.
View more context for this quotation
1913 T. Roosevelt Autobiogr. 579
Our policy is apt to go in zigzags, because different sections of our people exercise at different times unequal pressure on our government.
1782—1913(Hide quotations)
2. A road or path turning sharply at angles in alternate directions, esp. so as to reduce the gradient on a steep slope; each of the sharp turns forming such a road.
a1745 J. Swift My Lady's Lament. in Wks.
(1765)
VIII. ii. 184
How proudly he talks Of zigzacks and walks.
1848 W. M. Thackeray Bk. Snobs vi. 24
I thread the doubtful zig-zags of May Fair.
1855 H. Alford Jrnl. 19 Aug. in Life, Jrnls. & Lett.
(1873)
vii. 250
Up the valley of the Adour, to Arreau, a village approached by zigzags.
1890 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Colonial Reformer xiii
Many years before the Zig Zag [sc. railway in New South Wales] was chopped out of the sidelings.
a1745—1890(Hide quotations)
3. Applied spec. to other things of a zigzag shape.
a. Fortification. A trench leading towards a besieged place, constructed in a zigzag direction so as not to be enfiladed by the defenders; a boyau.
1733 E. Budgell Bee IV. 67
A Battery began in the Morning to play upon the Cavalier of the Bastion Ghiera; the Night following the Zic-zacs were continued.
1834 J. S. Macaulay Treat. Field Fortification 223
The zig-zags may often require a greater relief than the parallels.
1733—1834(Hide quotations)
b. Architecture. A chevron-moulding.
1814 W. Scott Border Antiq. I. 59
The dancette, as the figure is termed in heraldry, or zig-zag.
1826 W. A. Miles Descr. Deverel Barrow 4
The chevron or zig zag, that favorite British ornament so prominent in Egyptian remains.
1884 J. Ruskin Pleasures Eng.
(1885)
iii. §87. 119
The Norman zigzag.
1814—1884(Hide quotations)
c. Fisheries. (See quot.)
a1877 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. III. 2829/1
Zigzag,..2. A winding chute on the face of a dam to enable fish to ascend.
a1877—a1877(Hide quotations)
4. Collectors' name for a shell, or a moth, with zigzag marking.
1815 S. Brookes Introd. Conchol. 157
Zigzag, Cypræa Ziczac.
1815—1815(Hide quotations)
5. ( Zig-Zag n. (also Zig Zag) .) A proprietary name for cigarette paper.
1909 Official Gaz.
(U.S. Patent Office)
14 Dec. 594/1
Braunstein & Cie, Paris... Zig Zag... Cigarette-paper.
1927 Trade Marks Jrnl. 13 Apr. 675
Zig-zag No. 114... Cigarette papers. Société anonyme des anciens Établissements Braustein Frères.., Paris.
1968 Current Slang
(Univ. S. Dakota)
Fall 52
Zig-zag, paper of high quality which is commonly used in rolling marijuana.
1977 C. McFadden Serial
(1978)
xxx. 67/1
She stuffed her..Zig Zags back into her purse.
1909—1977(Hide quotations)
B. adj.
1.
a. Having the form of a zigzag; turning sharply at angles in alternate directions; characterized by turns of this kind.
1752 A. Dobbs in Philos. Trans. 1749–50
(Royal Soc.)
46 543
Striking it with a wriggling Motion from Side to Side, in a zigzag Way.
1769 W. Hamilton in Philos. Trans. 1768
(Royal Soc.)
58 11
Flashes of forked, or zig-zag lightning.
1785 W. Cowper Task ii. 364
He..transforms old print To zig-zag manuscript.
1792 W. Wordsworth Descr. Sketches 236
Up from the lake a zigzag path will creep.
1836 C. Dickens Sketches by Boz 1st Ser. II. 187
Away jogs the boat in a zigzag direction.
1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. ii. 11
A kind of zigzag channel had been worn on the side of the mountain.
figurative.
1798 T. J. Mathias Pursuits of Lit.
(ed. 7)
327
Be regular: from A to B proceed; I hate your zig-zag verse, and wanton heed.
1861 J. Pycroft Ways & Words 192
The old joke of the zigzag jury who said ‘Guilty’ and ‘Not guilty’ alternately, all through the assizes.
1863 C. C. Clarke Shakespeare-characters vi. 145
All the brood of zig-zag politicians.
1897 G. J. Goschen in Hansard's Parl. Deb. 4th Ser. 47 597
Our policy is to have as little of the zigzag policy..as possible.
1752—1897(Hide quotations)
b. Architecture. Applied to a moulding or other ornament of a zigzag pattern: cf. A. 3b.
1765 T. Gray Let. in Corr.
(1971)
II. 864
The chevron work (or zig-zag moulding).
1815 T. Rickman in J. Smith Panorama Sci. & Art I. 136
Channels in various forms, some plain zigzag, some like net-work, and some spiral.
1840 C. Wordsworth Greece 58
Columns of green basalt, with fantastic zigzag ornaments.
1765—1840(Hide quotations)
c. Botany. Applied to the stem of a plant, or to a plant having such a stem.
1793 T. Martyn Lang. Bot. sig. Y2
Zigzag, used by some English writers for Flexuose.
1796 W. Withering Arrangem. Brit. Plants
(ed. 3)
III. 579
Zigzag Ladies smock.
1819 A. Rees Cycl. XXXIX
Zigzag Trefoil,..a term sometimes applied by farmers to the perennial red clover, marl grass, or wild red clover.
1793—1819(Hide quotations)
2. Having zigzag markings. (Chiefly Natural History.)
1785 J. Latham Gen. Synopsis Birds III. i. 61
Zigzag Bittern.
1796 P. A. Nemnich Allgemeines Polyglotten-Lex. 946
Zigzag chama, Venus castrensis.
1785—1796(Hide quotations)
3. Military slang (chiefly U.S.). Drunk. Now rare.ⓘ
1916 Gasper
(18th, 19th, 20th, & 21st Royal Fusiliers)
29 Apr.
A Tommy went over to Arques Beaucoup zigzag and out for a larques.
1917 B.E.F. Times 10 Apr. 3/1
She..replied with emotion 'Bosch officier, no ben, plenty zig-zag'.
1918 in C. Hamilton & L. Corbin Echoes from over There
(1919)
125
He got a trifle zig-zag.
1923 E. Paul Impromptu 149
He groped and floundered..not completely ‘zigzag’.
1965 S. Linakis In Spring War Ended i. 24
I wanted to stay zigzag, but the silliness was out of me.
1916—1965(Hide quotations)
C. adv.
In a zigzag manner or direction.
1754 E. Burt Lett. N. Scotl. II. xx. 132
It is almost incredible..how nimbly they skip,..turning Zic Zac to such Places as are passable.
1765 R. Veicht in Philos. Trans. 1764
(Royal Soc.)
54 287
The lightening is observed to run not in strait line, but zig zag.
1846 W. Greener Sci. Gunnery
(new ed.)
244
When he ignites a rocket, it may go straight forward, or zig-zag.
1862 H. Beveridge Comprehensive Hist. India III. viii. iv. 374
The road..led zig~zag up the side of a precipitous mountain.
1754—1862(Hide quotations)
Compounds
C1. zigzag-shaped adj.; zigzag fashion, zigzag-wise quasi-adverbs.
1758 O. Goldsmith tr. J. Marteilhe Mem. Protestant II. 129
A Way very commodious cut, Zigzag Fashion.
1846 F. Brittan tr. J. F. Malgaigne Man. Operative Surg. 236
The interline is zigzag shaped.
1877 T. H. Huxley & H. N. Martin Course Elem. Biol.
(ed. 4)
26
Its joints are bent zig-zag-wise.
1758—1877(Hide quotations)
C2.
zigzag connection n. Electrical Engineering a form of star connection of three-phase circuits, each branch of which is interconnected and contains portions of two consecutive phases.
1922 P. Kemp Alternating Current Electr. Engin.
(ed. 2)
xiii. 188
This affects the magnetising current and may result in an appreciable increase in iron loss owing to flux distortion, and to minimize this effect zig-zag connections are sometimes adopted.
1947 R. Lee Electronic Transformers & Circuits iii. 47
Unbalanced direct current in the half-wave rectifiers requires larger transformers than in the full-wave rectifiers. This is partly overcome in three-phase transformers by the use of zigzag connections.
1922—1947(Hide quotations)
zigzag machine n. a sewing machine with a swing needle that may be used to produce a zigzag stitch and decorative stitches derived from it.
[1950 Vogue Pattern Bk. Apr. 81/2
It was Pfaff that developed the famous Zig-Zag Model 130.]
1952 Consumers' Res. Bull. Sept. 11/1
All the zig-zag machines but one..were heavy.
1963 Which? June 165/2
For plain zig zag machines, the width of the stitch limits the range of patterns they can make.
1978 Detroit Free Press 5 Mar. d14
(advt.)
Fashionmate zig zag machine featuring our front drop-in bobbin.
1952—1978(Hide quotations)
