Green’s Dictionary of Slang

wig v.2

[fig. uses of wig n.2 (5)]

1. to annoy, to irritate; to render someone nervous.

[Ind]Hills & Plains I 285: No one could wig a magistrate, snub a planter, or silence a missionary more courageously than he.
B. Ulanov A Hist. of Jazz in America 350: wig: term expressing exasperation, enthusiasm or insanity.
[US]H. Ellison ‘Final Shtick’ in Gentleman Junkie (1961) 20: Don’t let it wig you, kid.
[US]R. Price Ladies’ Man (1985) 237: I was proud of myself that Donny’s gayness didn’t wig me.
[US]A. Heckerling Clueless [film script] Oh, and this Josh and Tai thing was wigging me more than anything. I mean, what was my problem?
[US](con. 1962) J. Ellroy Enchanters 328: The Aadland approach wigged me.

2. (US) to talk, to chatter.

[US]Wentworth & Flexner DAS 579/2: wig [...] to talk, esp. to talk idly or foolishly [...] since c.1935.

3. (US black) to inform, to explain to someone.

[US]D. Burley Diggeth Thou? 43: Let me wig you to the deal that went down.

4. (US black) to delight, to impress.

[US]L. Durst Jives of Dr. Hepcat (1989) 5: An upstate guy wigs you with some most burnt toeology, the whole party is gapping and clapping making you most understand that the dancer is ace hi, on the main stem. And one ‘tip toe Joe’ that’s in the know.
[UK]T. Taylor Baron’s Court All Change (2011) 22: It wigged her like mad to know that I was already on the Jazz scene.

5. to understand, to approve.

[US]D. Burley N.Y. Amsterdam News 22 Mar. 13: ‘I wig you and I dig you’.
[UK]C. MacInnes Absolute Beginners 26: He didn’t wig this, so [...] he stepped away to make himself respectable again.
[Aus]P. Doyle (con. late 1950s) Amaze Your Friends (2019) 209: Homer gradually wigged that Max wasn’t going to leave without the money.

6. (US) to play cerebral, intellectual jazz music.

[US]PADS Nov. 47: wig: to think, to play extremely intellectual music.

7. (US) to be in good spirits, to enjoy.

[US]Babs Gonzales ‘The Be-Bop Santa Claus’ 🎵 Pops was wigging and he was out of his head.
[US]Wentworth & Flexner DAS.

8. (US) to become nervous, hysterical, overly stressed, mentally unbalanced; thus vtr. wig on(someone).

[US]O. Duke Sideman 233: When she found out I was dancing in nightclubs she wigged!
[US]Jazz Rev. Jan. 9: The guy was about to wig. He told someone, ‘You gotta get this band the hell outa here.’.
[US]R. Price Ladies’ Man (1985) 131: I was wigging to the point of urinating on myself.
[US]P. Munro Sl. U. 206: I was wigging over my date with Bob.
[US]R. Price Clockers 346: Next thing I know the kid wigs, he turns and shoves me, boom.
[US]‘Randy Everhard’ Tattoo of a Naked Lady 180: Hell, he’d probably cop to the hit he’d be wiggin’ so bad.
[US]C. Goffard Snitch Jacket 171: Don’t wig. Don’t wig don’t wig don’t wig.
[US]L. Berney Gutshot Straight [ebook] [She] took Lucy’s upper lip between both of hers and tugged gently. ‘Don’t wig on me now, Loosey Change, okay?’.

9. (US) to reach a different state through drugs.

[US]K. Kolb Getting Straight 26: It’s a great kick [...] You’ll wig!
[US]R. Price Ladies’ Man (1985) 222: Well, we both wigged.
[US]Bubba Sparxxx f/ Duddy Ken ‘Take’m to the Water’ 🎵 Ate a ten-strip of blotter, been wiggin all week long / Y’all keep on, with that jibbery jabbery slippin out happily / Expose you pretty hoes with a dose of this hospitality.
[US]F. Bill Back to the Dirt 185: Miles was wigging out [on LSD].

10. (UK black) to shoot in the head.

[UK]Digga D. ‘Pump 101’ 🎵 I could wig a man in front of his daughter (Bap, bap).

In phrases

wig out (v.)

1. (US, also whig out) to lose control, to have a breakdown; thus wigged (out) adj.

[US]S.F. Chronicle 4 June 35: Some real moldy cat in a library in Alabama wigged out when she saw the white rabbits and the black rabbits on the cover of the book together.
[US]L. Bruce Essential Lenny Bruce 178: So he just wigs out, you know.
[US]C. McFadden Serial 26: Kate didn’t wig out over the occasional Frito.
[US]S. King Thinner (1986) 93: If we wig out and decide to head for Mexico.
[US]Eble Campus Sl. Apr. 10: whig out – lose self-control.
[Aus]J. Birmingham Tasmanian Babes Fiasco (1998) 187: [She] Said she couldn’t see him while he was wigging out like this, tells him to grow up.
E. Damerson in Dusted Mag. at Trikont.com 🌐 The feds were truly wigging out, portraying drug fans and distributors as brainless, heartless zombies, stripped of their sobriety, diligence, thrift and self-mastery.
[US]N. Walker Cherry 59: The drill sergeants pretended they were real angry. They said not to come close to them because they could wig out and snap our necks.

2. (orig. jazz) to enjoy oneself, to lose one’s inhibitions, to be thrilled by.

[US]W. White ‘Wayne University Sl.’ AS XXX:4 305: wig out, v.i. To be highly pleased. ‘He wigged out at the profs gag’ (He got a big belly-laugh from the professor’s joke).
[US]Cressey & Ward Delinquency, Crime, and Social Process 810: I used to get loaded and go to school just to wig out on all the people, just a big trip I was on.

3. (US campus) to shock, thrill or amaze someone, whether positively or negatively.

[US]Eble Campus Sl. Oct. 6: wig someone out – shock, surprise, unnerve: ‘The incident after the football game really wigged me out.’.
[UK]Indep. Rev. 25 Feb. 14: With Commons all-night jamming / We’ll wig those bozos out.
C. Bigelow Kindred Spirits 116: When Eric breathes on them [i.e. her ears], it totally wigs me out.