- Vig is clipped from vigorish, meaning exorbitant rate of interest. Here drug dealers clipped it and add a “weekly” meaning to it. Clipping is probably because drug dealers may tend to speak short and concise, and vigorish is a kind of long word which should be avoid in drug dealers’ conversation. Semantic change is probably because drugs are usually made by a large amount once and sold fast. Therefore drug deals are usually based on weeks rather than months, which is too long, or days, which is too short. Then the money they lent to acquire equipment or materials are taken interests by weeks.
vig
clipping semantic change; noun
a very high interests of the money lent that counted by weeks, used in drug business
Etymology : clipping from vigorish, with semantic change of adding the meaning of per week.
Source : “Plus 6.25% of vig.” Breaking Bad Season I. 2008.2
Last modified: 25 November 2013