Jog
(noun and verb) nudge; moderate run or ride
The word jog appeared in the 16th century. Its etymology is uncertain: it may well be an adaptation of shog, a Germanic word with a similar meaning that had been in English since the late 14th century, and which is a favourite expression of Nym in Henry V (II.i.42, II.iii.42). “Shall we shog?†(“Let’s goâ€) has since become something of a catchphrase for bardaholics.
Alternatively, it might have been a fresh onomatopoeic coinage, the sounds of the word reflecting the jerky movements involved.
The basic sense is “move alongâ€, especially with the idea of “moving off or awayâ€. This is the meaning we need when we hear Autolycus sing: “Jog on, jog on, the footpath way†(The Winter’s Tale, IV.iii.121).
The modern sense might well apply here without being at all misleading, of course. But when Katherina tells Petruchio: “You may be jogging whiles your boots are green†(The Taming of the Shrew, III.ii.210), she is telling him to go away, not advising him to take an early-morning gentle run.
