wig

A head of real or synthetic hair worn on the head to disguise baldness, for cultural or religious reasons, for fashion, or by actors to help them better resemble the character they are portraying.

Interjection

  1. An expression of shock.

Origin

Clipping of periwig, itself an alteration of French perruque. The meaning of "to reprimand" perhaps came from this being something a bigwig would do or perhaps from the expressions to flip one's wig, wigs on the green, or dash my wig!

Related

have one's wig snatched earwig merkin periwig peruke piggy-wig

Noun

  1. A head of real or synthetic hair worn on the head to disguise baldness, for cultural or religious reasons, for fashion, or by actors to help them better resemble the character they are portraying.
  2. A bigwig.
    • Ye’ve been grossly deceived and put upon, Milly, and it’s my belief his old ruffian of an uncle in a wig is in the plot against us. - 1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 12, in The...
  3. Among fishermen, an old seal.

Forms

wigs

Synonyms

hairpiece periwig peruke toupe toupee toupée toupet

Hyponyms

wiglet

Derived

bag wig bald wig bewigged bigwig blow one's wig bob wig campaign wig Cleopatra wig curly wig flip one's wig fright wig get one's wig split gooseberry wig have one's wig snatched landlady's wig lawyer's wig scratch wig trick wig wig and falsies wig block wig cap wiggy wig head wigless

Verb

  1. To put on a wig; to provide with a wig (especially of an actor etc.).
  2. To upbraid, reprimand.
  3. To act in an extremely emotional way; to be overly excited, irritable, nervous, or fearful; behave erratically.
    • That guy must be high. Look how he's wigging.
  4. To shoot in the head.
    • And I don't know nothin bout slippin Zombie killer or rambo twinnin Or a long pole like scaffold Just tryna rise and aim and wig him - 2020, CR1 of Hoxton, “EC1 Block Bully”, 1:26:

Forms

wigs wigging wigged

Related

wiggins wig onto wig on to wig out