Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun An animated Spanish or Spanish-American dance in triple time.
- noun The music for this dance.
- noun Informal Nonsense; tomfoolery.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A lively dance, very popular in Spain and Spanish America.
- noun Music for such a dance or in its rhythm, which is triple and often based on the formula here shown: akin to the bolero, chica, seguidilla, etc.
- noun By extension, a ball or dance of any sort, especially in the formerly Spanish parts of the United States; hence, humorously, any noisy entertainment, with or without dancing; a jollification.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A lively dance, in 3-8 or 6-8 time, much practiced in Spain and Spanish America. Also, the tune to which it is danced.
- noun colloq. A ball or general dance, as in Mexico.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A form of
flamenco music and dance that has many regional variations (e.g. fandango de Huelva), some of which have their own names (e.g. malagueña, granadina) - noun An unknown entity or
contraption - noun A shade of red-violet
- verb To dance the fandango
- verb figuratively To dance, particularly with a lot of energy
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a provocative Spanish courtship dance in triple time; performed by a man and a woman playing castanets
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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The term fandango, though originally signifying a peculiar kind of dance, seems to be used here for an evening's dancing entertainment, in which many different _pas_ are introduced.
California Four Months among the Gold-Finders, being the Diary of an Expedition from San Francisco to the Gold Districts Henry Vizetelly 1857
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Telegraph readers have been inundating the Letters page with examples of the curious fortunes of the word fandango in popular song.
Telegraph Blogs 2009
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The Rolling Stones whose lyrics feature the word fandango Photo: AP
Telegraph Blogs 2009
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They have also two favourite dances, called a fandango, and a bolero, both extremely lively and graceful.
The World's Fair Anonymous
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The New Mexicans, both men and women, had a great fondness for jewelry, dress, and amusements; of the latter, the fandango was the principal, which was held in the most fashionable place of resort, where every belle and beauty in the town presented herself, attired in the most costly manner, and displaying her jewelled ornaments to the best advantage.
The old Santa Fe trail The Story of a Great Highway Henry Inman 1868
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There is one thing that I think I shall regret leaving myself, and that is, the fandango and the two or three pretty senoritas one has been in the habit of meeting at it almost every night.
California Four Months among the Gold-Finders, being the Diary of an Expedition from San Francisco to the Gold Districts Henry Vizetelly 1857
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He might indeed go to their wretched "fandango" in the end -- they had all been urging him, Stephen, Medora, everybody -- but never as a cheap imitation of a swell so long as his own good, neat, well-made, every-day wardrobe existed as it was.
Under the Skylights Henry Blake Fuller 1893
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Early next morning, I left them playing their "fandango" play.
John Andrew Jackson. The Experience of a Slave inSouth Carolina. 1862
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He's the kind of a guy who would put a lampshade on his head and dance the fandango if he thought it would make one person smile, and it takes a similar kind of Texas chutzpah to get up on the stage at the Carlyle, in front of debutantes and dowagers sporting enough jewelry to exceed the gross national product of Madagascar, and sing "Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer."
Jubilant and Jazzy for the Holidays Will Friedwald 2011
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This kist makes me crazy especially since fandango has it advertised that they are selling the tickets.
uselessness commented on the word fandango
My happiness is a golden poem!
March 12, 2007
roseandivy commented on the word fandango
"We skipped the light fandango
turned cartwheels 'cross the floor
I was feeling kinda seasick
but the crowd called out for more"
March 19, 2008
yarb commented on the word fandango
Monterey is also a great place for cock-fighting, gambling of all sorts, fandangos, and various kinds of amusement and knavery.
- Richard Henry Dana Jr., Two Years Before the Mast, ch. 13
September 6, 2008
yarb commented on the word fandango
Citation on frolicsome.
September 20, 2008
everett commented on the word fandango
Very good.
December 4, 2008
gangerh commented on the word fandango
Will you do the fandango
December 4, 2008
bilby commented on the word fandango
Possibly in Durango.
December 4, 2008