The Etymology of Jigsaw
The jigsaw puzzle is named after the wrong tool.βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ The jigsaw β a mechanical saw whose blade jigs rapidly up and down β was developed in the 1850s. When interlocking picture puzzles became popular in the 1900s, people assumed they were cut with a jigsaw and the name stuck, though most were cut with a fret saw. The puzzles themselves date to around 1760, when London mapmaker John Spilsbury glued maps onto boards and cut them along national borders as geography aids. For over a century these were called 'dissected puzzles.' The word jig likely comes from Old French giguer ('to dance'), reflecting the blade's lively motion. Today the puzzle has so thoroughly claimed the word that most people have never seen the saw.