| Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993. |
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| jibe (vv.), gibe, gybe (nn., vv.) |
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| Jibe (1) means “to shift suddenly from one side to another” and is usually used of fore-and-aft-rigged sailboats when they turn to put the wind on the other side of their sails and thus snap those sails to the opposite side of the boat. It can also be used generally and figuratively for any sudden shift of direction. Jibe (2), usually combined with with, means “to be in agreement, to match,” as in Her version of the incident jibes with his. The word in this sense appears now to be Standard, although at least one dictionary labels it Colloquial. Gibe, often with at, is a verb meaning “to taunt, to deride, to jeer,” as in The spectators gibed at him mercilessly when he struck out, and the noun gibe means “a taunt,” as in She winced at each new gibe. Spelling is a considerable complication in these homophones, since jibe is a frequent variant spelling of gibe, and gybe occasionally occurs as a variant of gibe and, rarely, of either jibe. Edited English usually sticks to jibe for the “shift” and “agree” senses and gibe for the noun and verb meaning “taunt.” | 1 |
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| | | The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. Copyright © 1993 Columbia University Press. |
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