Meaning
A spinning top — a wooden top wound with string and thrown down to spin, the classic Jamaican boys' plaything. Often home-made or fitted with a nail point, the gig is spun in contests to see whose spins longest, or in a rougher game where players try to split a rival's gig by striking it with their own. Spinning gig was a staple of boyhood street and yard play for generations.
Examples
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Di bwoy dem a spin gig inna di road.
The boys are spinning tops in the road.
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Him gig spin longer dan fi mi.
His top spins longer than mine.
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Him lick mi gig an split it.
He struck my top and split it.
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Him carve a gig outta a piece a wood.
He carved a spinning top out of a piece of wood.
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Spin yuh gig an mek wi see who last longest.
Spin your top and let's see whose lasts longest.
Origin
From English dialect 'gig' (a spinning top); the wooden spinning top. See Marble, Kite flying.
How it’s used
A wound-string wooden spinning top; a boys' game. See Marble, Kite flying.