What does figo mean?
Figo is an archaic English exclamation used to express contempt, scorn, or defiant dismissal. Borrowed from the Spanish and Portuguese word for 'fig', it is closely tied to the ancient Mediterranean insult of 'giving someone the fig' — a crude gesture made with the hand that conveyed mockery and derision. In the language of Shakespeare's day, a character might cry 'Figo!' to brush off a threat or ridicule an opponent's boast, much as a modern speaker might say 'yeah, right' with a dismissive wave. The word appears in early modern drama and comic writing rather than in formal prose, marking it as a colloquialism of the period. Today figo survives only as a literary curiosity, encountered by readers of Renaissance plays and by etymologists tracing how a humble fruit became a vehicle for insult.
interjectionAn archaic exclamation expressing contempt or defiance, equivalent to snapping the fingers at someone or saying 'a fig for that'. It derives from the word for 'fig' and echoes the insulting gesture known as 'giving the fig'.
- An exclamation of contempt or scorn (archaic).
""Figo!" cried the clown, snapping his fingers at the magistrate's threats."
""Figo for thy favour!" he scoffed, turning on his heel."
"The old playbooks are peppered with cries of "Figo!" where a modern character would simply sneer."
Before people said 'whatever', Elizabethans snapped their fingers and shouted 'Figo!' — literally hurling a fig at whoever displeased them.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of figo
Figo entered English in the sixteenth century as a cry of contempt, borrowed directly from Spanish and Portuguese figo, meaning 'fig'. It reflects the classical gesture and phrase 'to give the fig', in which displaying a fig — or making a suggestive hand sign associated with it — served as an insult across Mediterranean cultures. The same association underlies the older English expression 'a fig for X', meaning indifference or disdain. As a standalone exclamation, figo fell out of use after the early modern period.
How figo is actually used
Strictly historical: found in early modern English drama and prose, including the plays of Shakespeare's era, and no longer in ordinary use. Modern readers encounter it almost exclusively in annotated editions of Renaissance literature.
Easily confused with figo
Fig is the common noun for the edible fruit or tree, whereas figo is an archaic exclamation of contempt derived from that word.
FIFA is the international football federation, unrelated in meaning to figo despite a superficial resemblance in sound.