1a v. — Fishing, Newfoundland, dated
to gut a fish or squid.
Type: 1. Origin — Though the origins are unknown, it is possible that pip derives from the verbs "gib" or "gip", meaning 'to disembowel (fish)' (OED-3, s.v. "gib"). DNE (s.v. "gip") offers the Irish Gaelic term "giobaim", 'to prick, pluck', as a potential root, which could have travelled to Newfoundland with Irish settlers in the 18th and 19th centuries. Though pip as a verb seems to pertain most often to herring or squid, the noun (see meaning 1b) appears to be used more generally.
See also DNE, s.v. "pip" (v).
1b n. — Fishing, Newfoundland, dated
the entrails of a fish or squid.
Type: 1. Origin — See meaning 1a. Note that the verb predates, in our evidence, the noun by almost a century, which would indicate derivation of the noun from the verb.
See also DNE, s.v. "pip" (n.1).
2 expression — Newfoundland, mostly Education
to skip school, often in the phrases, on the pip or pip off.
The Newfoundland phrases on the pip and pip off are used to describe the action of skipping school (playing truant). Though it is unclear where these phrases originated, it has been suggested that they are modern forms of the slang term "mooch" (see the 1966 quotation). While the vast majority of written sources appear within the context of school, there is some evidence of semantic generalization wherein the phrase merely means 'to skip' (see, for example, the 2011 quotation).
See also DNE, s.v. "pip" (n.2).
See also: mooch ((1))
- This meaning appears to be a post-WWII Newfoundland creation, which attests to the innovatory force in Newfoundland English, which is otherwise better known for its traditional dialects that are in rapid decline.