Let me tell you something that seriously doesn’t jive with me…
Okay, how do you think I could finish that sentence? Where do you think I’m going? What actually makes sense? Do you know the difference between “jive” vs. “jibe” vs. “gibe”?
There’s a chance I see this incorrectly written more frequently than I see it correct, so let’s talk this out:
- To “jive” means, most commonly, “to dance” (hello, ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” lyrics) or sometimes “to kid” or “to say something that’s not serious.” You can thank 1920s slang for this term.
- To “jibe” means “to agree” or “to be in accord” and is usually followed by “with.” There’s also “jibing” in reference to sailing, as when there’s a sudden change of direction, but a practiced sailor could likely give a better definition on this meaning than what I can provide. These forms entered the English language in the early 1800s and the late 1600s respectively.
But just to keep you on your toes…
- To “gibe” means to taunt, and this sarcastic and snarky word has been in use since the mid-1500s.
The only problems here are that “jive” has been confused with “jibe” for so many decades (yes decades, nearly a century of this mistake in fact!), you see it in writing all of the time. Similarly, some dictionaries even accept “jibe” as an alternate spelling of “gibe” because of similar confusion.
You have to pay extra attention with this trio (“jive” vs. “jibe” vs. “gibe”).
So remember, if something doesn’t jive with me, that means it’s not willing to boogie. There may be many out there who don’t want to dance with me, but that’s okay. I’m all right with that. As for things that don’t jibe with me, maybe I should simply start with common language mistakes. How’s that?
Of course, I won’t gibe you about it. That’s not my style.
Because I know we can do better. And then we can dance about it. And it all comes full circle, doesn’t it?
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