"Skip to My (The) Lou was a popular partner-stealing dance from America's frontier period. Since instruments were frowned upon, particularly the fiddle, the dancers had to create their own music by clapping and singing.
Couples would dance around a lone male who sang "lost my partner, what'll I do." At the appropriate point in the lyrics, he would "steal" the partner of a dancing man as he sang "I'll find another one prettier than you." The displaced man would take his place in the circle.
"Lou" is apparently a corruption of "loo," the Scottish word for lovecitation needed.
An unconventional arrangement of this tune is featured in the 1944 motion picture, Meet Me in St. Louis.
: an East Indian narcotic confection that is made of hemp leaves, henbane, daturaseeds, poppy seeds, honey, and ghee and that produces effects like those of hashish and opium __Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary 2002
Prior to today I been able to click on private notes and add to them. Today I am unable to click on them and get the edit box...I can not make any new additions to old private notes.
"An eccentric, ditsy, arcane, funny person. Is generally a good natured and sympathetic person. Not to be confused with a "wackjob," who can be nasty or violent. "__Urbandictionary.com
"Bosque is the name for areas of gallery forest found along the flood plains of stream and river banks in the southwestern United States. It derives its name from the Spanish word for woodlands."__Wikipedia
"Hesperis matronalis is a herbaceous plant species in the mustard family, Brassicaceae. It has numerous common names including: Dame’s Rocket, Damask Violet, Dame’s Violet, Dames-wort, Dame’s Gilliflower, Night Scented Gilliflower, Queen’s Gilliflower, Rogue’s Gilliflower, Summer Lilac, Sweet Rocket, Mother-of-the-evening and, Winter Gilliflower. Plants are biennials or short lived perennials, native to Eurasia and cultivated in many other areas of the world for their attractive spring blooming flowers. In some of those areas, it has escaped cultivation and become a weed species. The genus name Hesperis is Greek for evening, and the name was probably given because the scent of the flowers becomes more conspicuous towards evening."__Wikipedia
"Paregoric, or camphorated tincture of opium, also known as tinctura opii camphorata, is a medication known for its antidiarrheal, antitussive, and analgesic properties. It was a household remedy in the 18th and 19th centuries, when it was widely used to calm fretful children. In the 20th century its use declined as governments regulated it. (In the United States, paregoric can still be found in the pharmacopeia, but it is a Schedule III drug under the Controlled Substances Act.)
The principal active ingredient is powdered opium (containing the equivalent of 0.4 mg/mL of morphine). Other ingredients are benzoic acid, camphor, glycerin, anise oil and purified water. The main effect of this preparation is to increase the muscular tone of the intestine, and also to inhibit normal peristalsis. Its main medicinal use is to control fulminant diarrhea. It is also an antitussive (cough suppressant). Problems with its use include opiate dependency and analgesia which can mask symptoms of diseases that need treatment."
__Wikipedia
My grandmother used to give this opium concoction to us for "crankiness."
"Thiomersal (INN) (C9H9HgNaO2S), or sodium ethylmercurithiosalicylate, commonly known in the United States as thimerosal, is an organomercury compound (approximately 49% mercury by weight) used as an antiseptic and antifungal agent.
It was developed and registered under the trade name Merthiolate in 1928 by the pharmaceutical corporation Eli Lilly and Company and has been used as a preservative in vaccines, immunoglobulin preparations, skin test antigens, antivenins, ophthalmic and nasal products, and tattoo inks.
In the U.S., the European Union, and a few other affluent countries, the compound is being phased out from vaccines routinely given to children.1 Packaging the vaccines in single-dose vials eliminates the need for bacteriostatics such as thiomersal
n. 1. A charm; an incantation; a shell; a trick; adroit mischief. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, published 1913 by C. & G. Merriam Co., spelled: Cantrap
Some lady who is into Matrix Energetics told me she saw a gremlin sitting with a needle and thread, sewing and repairing my morphic field and then painting it over with a big brush and applying some clear sealant. Well, that is a nice helpful gremlin apparently. ;)
"Morphic field is a term introduced by British biologist Rupert Sheldrake, the major proponent of this concept, through his Hypothesis of Formative Causation in the early 1980s. It is described as consisting of patterns that govern the development of forms, structures and arrangements."
Hashimoto's thyroiditis or chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis is an autoimmune disease where the body's own T-cells attack the cells of the thyroid. It was the first disease to be recognised as an autoimmune disease.
This disorder is believed to be the most common cause of primary hypothyroidism in North America. It occurs far more often in women than in men (10:1 to 20:1), and is most prevalent between 45 and 65 years of age.
A delta wave is a high amplitude brain wave with a frequency of 1-4 Hertz which can be recorded with an electroencephalogram (EEG) and is usually associated with slow-wave sleep.
Delta wave activity occurs most frequently during stage 4 non-rapid eye movement sleep accounting for 50% or more of the EEG record during this stage.
The hoochie coochie was a sexually provocative dance that became wildly popular during and after the Chicago World's Fair in 1893. Described by the New York Journal in 1893 as "Neither dancing of the head nor the feet", it was a belly dance performed by women of (or presented as having) an Eastern European gypsy heritage, often as part of travelling 'side shows'. Cooch, coochie or cootchie was apparently already a Southern US term for a woman's private parts, and hoochie coochie has been suggested as referring directly to sex. The dance was still popular at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition: the World's Fair of 1904 but had all but disappeared by the Second World War, and so the Muddy Waters song was harking back to an earlier 'golden' era._Wikipedia
A travois (Canadian French, from French travail, a frame for restraining horses; also obsolete travoy or travoise) is a frame used by Native Americans, notably the Plains Indians of North America, to drag loads over land. The basic construction consists of a platform or netting mounted on two long poles, lashed in the shape of an elongated isosceles triangle; the frame was dragged with the sharply pointed end forward. Sometimes the blunt end of the frame was stabilized by a third pole bound across the two main poles.
Rose water or rose syrup is the hydrosol portion of the distillate of rose petals. Rose water, itself a by-product of the production of rose oil for use in perfume, is used to flavour food, as a component in some cosmetic and medical preparations, and for religious purposes throughout Europe and Asia.
Rose water has a very distinctive flavour and is used heavily in South Asian, West Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine—especially in sweets. For example, rose water gives loukoumia (turkish delight) and gulab jamuns their distinctive flavours. In Iran it is also added to tea, ice cream, cookies and other sweets in small quantities, and in the Arab world and India it is used to flavour milk and dairy-based dishes such as rice pudding.
"Mouton fur is sheepskin which has been processed to resemble beaver or seal fur. Mouton is French for "sheep". Mouton fur refers to lamb hair which has been straightened, chemically treated, and thermally set to produce a moisture repellent finish. Mouton is often dyed brown to resemble beaver, but it is also found in many other colors."
"In the vocabulary of surfers, a skeg is a stabilizing strut or fin located at the rear of the surfboard. A surf board skeg improves the board's fundamental directional stability and enables directional control by banking: varying the surfer's side to side weight distribution."
A block party is a large public celebration in which many members of a single neighborhood congregate, either to observe an event of some importance or simply for mutual enjoyment. The name comes from the form of the party, which often involves closing an entire city block to vehicle traffic. Many times, there will be a celebration in the form of playing music and dance. Block parties gained popularity in the United States during the 1970s. Block parties were often held outdoors and power for the DJ's sound system was taken illegally from street lights. - Wikipedia
I find this definition adds greatly to my love of the word. I am ashamed to say I have used this word all my life and I never really knew what I was saying...the French language is filled with these beautiful descriptive nouns. Another case in point pomme de terre.
Ogonek (like a backwards cedilla, on the lower-right of a character). Used in Polish on the letters `a' and `e' to change their quality and nasalise them. - Everything.com
Do you know about the Music Genome Project? That ongoing project resulted in Pandora.com. It is a pretty cool online radio project where you can essentially program your own musical tastes...but anyway...they have some pretty kick-ass obscure garage bands on there...I thought I knew the genre well...ha!
William (Bill) Powell Lear (26 June 1902 – 14 May 1978) was an American inventor and businessman. He is best known for founding the Lear Jet Corporation, a manufacturer of business jets. Bill Lear and his fourth wife, Moya, had four children: John, Shanda, David and Tina.
Goldschläger is a Swiss cinnamon schnapps (43.5% alcohol by volume or 87 proof; originally it was 53.5% alcohol or 107 proof), a clear liqueur with very thin, yet visible flakes of gold floating in it. The actual amount of gold is extremely small and serves as a sort of novelty: there is currently less than a tenth of a gram (0.1 g) of gold flakes in a 750 ml bottle of Goldschläger, which, as of January 26, 2008, amounts to about 3.22 USD on the international gold market.
Despite having Swiss origins, Goldschläger is a product of Italy. A similar alcoholic beverage that contains gold is Gold Strike and another liqueur with floating bits of gold leaf is Danziger Goldwasser, a German root and herbal liqueur which has been produced since at least 1598. The German word Goldschläger actually means "gold leaf maker".
Kung Pao chicken (also spelled Kung Po chicken) is a classic dish in Sichuan cuisine, originating in the Sichuan Province of central-western China. The dish is named after Ding Baozhen (1820–1886), a late Qing Dynasty official. Born in Guizhou, Ding served as head of Shandong province and later as governor of Sichuan province. His title was G�?ng Bǎo (宮�?), or palatial guardian. The name "Kung Pao" chicken is derived from this title.
The dish exists in both traditional Sichuan and Westernized versions; the latter is more popular in the United States and Canada.
Agaricus bisporus is known by many names several of which refer to different stages; "button mushroom" when sold, collected or eaten in young, unopened form, "Crimini mushroom" or "baby bella" an immature portobello, or "Portobello mushroom" as a large brown mature mushroom. It is known as the champignon de Paris in France. It is also often called simply "champignon" (the french word for "fungus") in several languages.
The cultivated mushroom is a member of the large genus Agaricus, which has numerous members which are edible, tasty and collected worldwide. The next best-known is the commonly collected wild mushroom (A. campestris), known in North America as the meadow mushroom or field mushroom in England and Australia. This can be found throughout much of the United States and Europe.
Spelt is an ancient and lovely tasting grain in the wheat family. It makes a more crisp, dense bread, has less gluten than typical wheat. It is available as white or bleached flour or as a whole grain brown flour. Spelt pasta is also available.
Hoisin sauce, or Haixian Sauce, (hǎixi�?njiàng) also called suckling pig sauce, is a Chinese dipping sauce. The word Hoisin is a romanization of the Chinese word "海鮮" as pronounced in Cantonese. Despite the literal meaning of "seafood," Hoisin sauce does not actually contain fish. It is similar to the sweet noodle sauce made from fermented soybeans, but has the added ingredients of garlic, vinegar, and chili peppers. Additionally, it tastes less pungent than sweet noodle sauce. Mandarin-style Hoisin sauce ingredients include water, sugar, soybeans, white distilled vinegar, rice, salt, wheat flour, garlic, and red chili peppers, and several preservatives and coloring agents. Traditionally, Hoisin sauce is made using sweet potato.
Produced mainly in the Chūbu region of Japan, tamari is darker in appearance and richer in flavour than koikuchi. It contains little or no wheat; wheat-free tamari is popular among people eating a wheat free diet. It is the "original" Japanese soy sauce, as its recipe is closest to the soy sauce originally introduced to Japan from China. Technically, this variety is known as miso-damari (味噌溜り), as this is the liquid that runs off miso as it matures.
Citronella oil is one of the essential oils obtained from the leaves and stems of different species of Cymbopogon. The oil is used extensively as a source of perfumery chemicals such as citronellal, citronellol and geraniol. These chemicals find extensive use in soap, perfumery, cosmetic and flavouring industries throughout the world.
Citronella oil is also a renowned plant-based insect repellent, and has been registered for this use in the United States since 1948. The EPA considers oil of citronella as a biopesticide with a non-toxic mode of action. Research also shows that citronella oil has strong antifungal properties,and effective in calming barking dogs.
I think sionnach is brave and wonderful for speaking up and I think, chained_bear, that you are exquisite for your efforts and love of words and sense of detail...Wordie is so cool..and so are we.
sionnach, I tried googling that title and am coming up empty handed. Who is the author and do you know if the books are still available and if there are English translations? They sound delightful.
chained_bear, I agree with you on Renee Zellweger although I call her Just-ate-a-lemon-face. I agree on Mel, too. I do have to watch the occasional Tom Cruise film because they're usally interesting...but I'm usally wishing there was another actor in the role.
I liked some of their work and Pretzel Logic was a good album but I can't get past the fact that Jeff "Skunk" Baxter is a defense consultant who advises the Pentagon and Congress and NASA on missile defense and national security. I just can't wrap my rock 'n roll mind around that. It would take some serious pretzel logic.
Convoluted thinking that is anything but logical, usually used to attempt to support a point that is insupportable.
Also:
Pretzel Logic is a Steely Dan album originally released in 1974. The album's opening song, "Rikki Don't Lose That Number", became the band's biggest hit, reaching #4 on the charts soon after the release of the album. The album itself went gold, and then platinum, reaching #8 on the charts.
Also a shelter hauled out onto a frozen lake and left there during the ice fishing season...some of them are anything but crude. Some have fully stocked bars, television, beds, easy chairs. The fishermen fish through the ice via holes in the floor. My father has a collapsible portable one that he hauls back and forth with his snowmobile each time he goes fishing. He is of the fishing school of ice fishermen as opposed to the drinking and partying school of ice fishermen.
A heffalump is a fictional, elephant-like creature mentioned in the Winnie the Pooh stories by A. A. Milne. Heffalumps are mentioned in Winnie-the-Pooh (1926) and The House at Pooh Corner (1928). Although this is never explicitly stated, it is generally thought that heffalumps are elephants from a child's viewpoint (the word "heffalump" being a child's attempt at pronouncing "elephant"). E. H. Shepard's illustrations in A. A. Milne's original books depict heffalumps (as seen in Piglet's dreams) as looking very much like elephants.
A man I know who was a soldier in Viet Nam said that this is an expression used by the Vietnamese in their own language. It refers to someone who is driving a water buffalo and they are so dumb that they step in the cow-pies as they walk along. They use this expression to refer to anyone who is acting in a careless or stupid manner.
It is said in Wisconsin...it means I'm going to spank you or hit you instead of talking to you in the usual way...often an idle threat to a child when they have not been listening to earlier admonitions. As in, "I'm all done telling you to stop it. Next time you do that, I'm going to talk to you by hand!"
Oh, jeeze! I just realized that this entire list exists that contains the word knuckle...so I will stop adding knuckle words to the Body Metaphors List...the whole list would fit on there...sorry.
"to decamp," 1834, from Sp. vamos "let us go," from L. vadamus, from vadere "to go, to walk," from PIE base *wadh- "to go" (cf. O.E. wadan "to go," L. vadum "ford").
A trademark of the BIC Corporation as well as a genericized term (in the United States) for a felt tip marker with a wide tip as opposed to a fine tip. Originally, (in 1958) available in red or black, now available in many colors of ink, washable and permanent.
Marker pen, or marker, is a term used to refer to various kinds of pens which have their own ink-source and usually a tip made of a porous material, including felt or nylon. When the tip is made of felt it can be called a felt-tipped pen.
a woman who has wised up after being pecked by a rooster for the second time....or....a woman who is not looking forward to being married again....or a woman who has been to some of the same bars as I.
A cinder blockhead is a guy who murders his wife in their own driveway with a cinder block from their own garage and tells the police a stranger did it as he stood by helplessly. This actually happened in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
Brownfields are abandoned, idled, or under-used industrial and commercial facilities where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contaminations.
In city planning, brownfield land (or simply a brownfield) is land previously used for industrial purposes or certain commercial uses that may be contaminated by low concentrations of hazardous waste or pollution and has the potential to be reused once it is cleaned up. Land that is more severely contaminated and has high concentrations of hazardous waste or pollution, such as a Superfund or hazardous waste site, does not fall under the brownfield classification.
In the United Kingdom and Australia, the term applies merely to previously used land.
a fool, a silly old man, also a kind of spirit. North.The dobbies seem to be similar to Scottish Brownies. They are well described by Washington Irving in his Bracebridge Hall, ed. 1822.
_A Dictionary of Archaic and Provincial Words, Obsolete Phrases, Proverbs and Ancient Customs, by James Orchard Halliwell-Phillips, 1881
The Grizzly Bear started in San Francisco, along with the Bunny Hug and Texas Tommy and was also done on the Staten Island ferry boats in the 1900's. It has been said that dancers John Jarrott and Louise Gruenning introduced this dance as well as the Turkey Trot at Ray Jones Café in Chicago, IL around 1909. The Grizzly Bear was first introduced to Broadway audiences in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1910 by Miss Fanny Brice.
The dance was rough and clumsy. During the dance, the dancers would yell out: "It's a Bear!" The genuine Grizzly Bear step was in correct imitation of the movements of a dancing bear, moving or dancing to the side. A very heavy step to the side with a decided bending of the upper part of the body from one side to the other, a decidedly ungraceful and undignified movement when performed as a dance.
The turkey trot was a dance made popular in the early 1900s. The Turkey Trot was done to fast ragtime music popular in the decade from 1900 to 1910 such as Scott Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag. It lost favor to the Foxtrot in 1914.
The basic step consisted of four hopping steps sideways with the feet well apart, first on one leg, then the other with a characteristic rise on the ball of the foot, followed by a drop upon the heel. The dance was embellished with scissor-like flicks of the feet and fast trotting actions with abrupt stops.
The Texas Tommy is said by many to be the first swing dance. The main reason being that during this period (1909), all the dances were done in "closed" position, this was supposedly the first modern dance of the time to include the "break-away" step (dancing in open position) while using a basic 8 count rhythm. (The "break-away" step developed into a dance with the same name.) The dance was one of many that originated in the dancehalls of the Barbary Coast redlight district.
The Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco popularized and legitimized the low dancehall Texas Tommy along with the Bunny hug, Turkey Trot and Grizzly Bear. The hotel had a house band that regularly played the Texas Tommy song and was a major place to be for dancing. Who originated the Texas Tommy is obscure, most likely it was being done and someone capitalized upon it. Some say Johnny Peters, an African-American, developed the Texas Tommy in the Pre-1910s in San Francisco. Peters and Ethel Williams were masters of the dance and danced it regularly at the Fairmont.
Jive is a dance style in 4/4 time that originated among African-Americans in the early 1940s. It is a lively and uninhibited variation of the Jitterbug, a form of Swing dance.
In Ballroom dancing, Jive is one of the five International Latin dances. In competition it is danced at a speed of 44 bars per minute, although in other cases this is reduced to between 32 and 40 bars per minute.
The Big Apple is both a partner dance and a circle dance that originated in the Afro-American community of the United States in the beginning of the 20th century. The exact origin of the Big Apple is unclear but one author suggests that the dance originated from the "ring shout", a group dance associated with religious observances that was founded before 1860 by African Americans on plantations in South Carolina and Georgia. The ring shout is described as a dance with "counterclockwise circling and high arm gestures" that resembled the Big Apple. It is still practiced today in small populations of the southern United States.
The dance that eventually became known as the Big Apple is speculated to have been created in the early 1930s by African American youth dancing at the House of Prayer Synagogue on Gates Street in Columbia, South Carolina. The synagogue was converted into a black juke joint called the "Big Apple Night Club".
Balboa is a form of swing dance that started as early as 1915 and gained in popularity in the 1930s and 1940s. It is danced primarily in close embrace, and is led with a full body connection. The art of Balboa is the subtle communication between the lead and follow, like weight shifts, that most viewers cannot see. As a result, Balboa is considered more of a "dancer's dance" than a "spectator's dance".
Balboa is danced to a wide variety of tempos. Because the basic is so small, Balboa can be danced to fast music (over 300 beats per minute). Balboa is also danced to slow music (under 100 beats per minute), which allows more time for intricate footwork and variations.
The shag is a form of swing dancing that evolved from the jitterbug and jump blues of the big band jazz era and originated along the strands between Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Wilmington, North Carolina, during the 1940s. It is most often associated with beach music, a genre of rhythm and blues-based songs that lend themselves to this dance form. According to Bo Bryan, a noted shag historian and resident of Beaufort County, the term was coined at Carolina Beach, North Carolina. Today, the shag is a recognized dance in national and international dance competitions held across the United States.
In the dance the upper body and hips hardly move as the legs do convoluted kicks and fancy footwork. The man is the center of attention and the woman's steps are either mirror steps of the man's or a sort of marking time while he does spins and other gyrations.
The shag is the state dance of North Carolina and South Carolina, and is still popular amongst residents of both states.
The 1989 film Shag starring Bridget Fonda, Phoebe Cates, Annabeth Gish, and Page Hannah as four high school friends on their last road trip together before graduation, was filmed in Myrtle Beach and features the Carolina shag.
Black Bottom refers to a dance which became popular in the 1920s, during the period known as the Flapper era.
The dance originated in New Orleans in the 1900s. The theatrical show Dinah brought the Black Bottom dance to New York in 1924, and the George White's Scandals featured it at the Apollo Theater in Harlem 1926 through 1927. Jelly Roll Morton, jazz player and composer, wrote the tune "Black Bottom Stomp" with its name referring to Detroit’s Black Bottom area. The dance became a sensation and ended up overtaking the popularity of the Charleston, eventually becoming the number one social dance.
"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" is a song by Ma Rainey which makes obvious allusions rather than being dance music.
Cakewalk is a traditional African American form of music and dance which originated among slaves in the Southern United States. The form was originally known as the chalk line walk; it takes its name from competitions slaveholders sometimes held, in which they offered slices of hoecake as prizes for the best dancers. It has since evolved from a parody of ballroom dancing to a fun fair like dance where participants dance in a circle in the hopes of winning a free cake.
From 1919 to 1927, Breakaway was a popular swing dance developed from the Texas Tommy and Charleston in Harlem's African American communities. The Breakaway was danced to jazz, and while it often began in closed position, the leader would occasionally swing the follower out into an open position, hence "Breaking away". When in open position the dancers would improvise with fancy moves. Some variations included both dancers completely breaking away from each other to dance 'alone'. It is this 'breaking away' which revolutionised the European partner dancing structure, and by the late 1920s, Breakaway had been incorporated into Lindy Hop, which replaced it as a popular social dance.
Lindy hop is an African American dance that evolved in New York City in 1927. It was an organic fusion of many dances that preceded it or were popular during its development but was predominantly based on jazz, tap, breakaway and charleston. Lindy hop co-evolved with jazz music and is a member of the swing dance family. It is frequently described as a jazz or street dance.
In its development, lindy hop combined elements of both solo and partner dancing by using the movements and improvisation of African dances along with the formal eight-count structure of European partner dances. This is most clearly illustrated in lindy's basic step, the swingout. In this step's open position each dancer improvises alone; in its closed position men and women dance together.
"Macarena" is a song by Los del Río about a woman of the same name, or any woman from the La Macarena neighbourhood of Seville. It was very successful between 1995 and 1997.
The song became the second longest running #1 and best selling debut single of all time in the US. It was ranked the "#1 Greatest One-Hit Wonder of all Time" by VH1 in 2002. The song was associated with a distinctive fast dance. The song originally had no dance, and it eventually caught on with the rest of the world. The Macarena dance is performed in time with the refrain of the song. To perform the dance,
One places his/her arms forward, palm down, right arm, then left arm.
Then the dancer turns his arms over so that his palms are up, right, then left.
The dancer puts his hands on his shoulders, first right hand on left shoulder, then left on right.
Then the dancer puts his hands on the back of his head, again right, then left.
The dancer then places his arms on his hips, right hand on left hip, then left on right
Then the dancer's hands go on their respective hips or rear end, right then left
The routine finishes with a pelvic rotation in time with the line "Ehhhh Macarena!"
Then the dancer turns 90 degrees counter clockwise and repeats the same motions throughout the whole song.
Bossa nova was a fad dance that corresponded to the bossa nova music. It was introduced in 1960 and faded out in the mid-sixties.
Bossa nova music, soft and with sophisticated vocal rhythms and improvisations, is well suited for listening, but failed to become dance music, despite heavy promotion for it as yet another dance craze of 1960s.
The style of basic dance steps suited the music, though. It was danced on soft knees that allowed for sideways sways with hip motions. It could be danced both solo and in pairs.
There were about ten various simple step sentences published.
The alcohol-free dance club for teenagers opened in 1962 at 11345 Ventura Blvd. in Studio City. Owned by KRLA disc jockey Bob Eubanks, the club spawned a TV show, a national chain of teen clubs and a pop record by the house band called "Cinnamon Cinder."
Apache is a highly dramatic dance associated in popular culture with Parisian street culture in the beginning of 20th century. The name of the dance is pronounced ah-PAHSH (not ah-PATCH-ee, like the Native American tribe). The dance is named after the nickname of street gang members, Apaches.
The dance is very brutal to the woman, and sometimes said to reenact a "discussion" between pimp and prostitute. It includes mock slaps and punches, the man picking up and throwing the woman to the ground, or lifting and carrying her while struggling or feigning unconsciousness. In some examples, the woman may fight back.
The Madison is a novelty dance that was popular in the late 1950s to mid 1960s. The Madison was created and first danced in Columbus, Ohio in 1957.
The Madison is a line dance that features a regular back-and-forth pattern interspersed with called steps. Its popularity inspired dance teams and competitions, as well as various recordings, and today it is still sometimes performed as a nostalgic dance. The Madison is featured in the John Waters movie Hairspray; and it continues to be performed in the Broadway musical Hairspray. Both the film and the musical feature one of many songs released during the Madison "craze" in the US.
An example of a 1960 song and album featuring music for the Madison is "The Tunetoppers at The Madison dance Party" with calls by Al Brown.
The Madison took on international flavor when Count Basie visited Columbus, Ohio in 1959 and adopted the dance as a feature of his entertainment when he played London and the continent, creating press notices in London.
The Madison basic danced in the film Hairspray is as follows:
Step left forward
Place right beside left (no weight)and clap
Step back on right
Move left foot back and across the right
Move left foot to the left
Move left foot back and acoss the right
Called steps included the Double Cross, the Cleveland Box, The Basketball, the Big "M", the "T"�? Time, the Jackie Gleason, the Birdland, and The Rifleman.
Hitch hike was a dance craze of 1960s. It started with the 1963 Marvin Gaye's hit Hitch Hike and refueled with the gold disc of Vanity Fare, Hitchin' a Ride (1970).
The dance is extremely simple and is based on the hitchhiker's gesture: waving the stuck out thumb. The classical Motown pattern is three times right thumb to the right over the shoulder, clap hands, three times left thumb to the left over the shoulder, clap hands. All this is accompanied by the shimmy body ripples popular at these times.
Since these times the dance move firmly established itself in various line, club and jazz dances, especially disco, and may be seen, e.g., in John Travolta's dance films.
The style of the move depends on the dance and may be accompanied with steps back or sideways or hip movements.
Comments by treeseed
treeseed commented on the word skip to my lou
"Skip to My (The) Lou was a popular partner-stealing dance from America's frontier period. Since instruments were frowned upon, particularly the fiddle, the dancers had to create their own music by clapping and singing.
Couples would dance around a lone male who sang "lost my partner, what'll I do." At the appropriate point in the lyrics, he would "steal" the partner of a dancing man as he sang "I'll find another one prettier than you." The displaced man would take his place in the circle.
"Lou" is apparently a corruption of "loo," the Scottish word for lovecitation needed.
An unconventional arrangement of this tune is featured in the 1944 motion picture, Meet Me in St. Louis.
" __WikipediaJuly 25, 2009
treeseed commented on the word majoon
Main Entry: ma·joon
Pronunciation: m&-'jün
Function: noun
: an East Indian narcotic confection that is made of hemp leaves, henbane, daturaseeds, poppy seeds, honey, and ghee and that produces effects like those of hashish and opium __Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary 2002
July 25, 2009
treeseed commented on the word bugs
Hi John
Prior to today I been able to click on private notes and add to them. Today I am unable to click on them and get the edit box...I can not make any new additions to old private notes.
Thanks.
July 25, 2009
treeseed commented on the word wackjob
See wackadoodle
July 24, 2009
treeseed commented on the word wackadoodle
"An eccentric, ditsy, arcane, funny person. Is generally a good natured and sympathetic person. Not to be confused with a "wackjob," who can be nasty or violent. "__Urbandictionary.com
July 24, 2009
treeseed commented on the word bosque
"Bosque is the name for areas of gallery forest found along the flood plains of stream and river banks in the southwestern United States. It derives its name from the Spanish word for woodlands."__Wikipedia
July 24, 2009
treeseed commented on the user sionnach
Thank you so much! It's all coming back to me now....
July 24, 2009
treeseed commented on the word dame's rocket
Invasive plant species with light purple flowers in Wisconsin, USA
July 24, 2009
treeseed commented on the word dame's rocket
"Hesperis matronalis is a herbaceous plant species in the mustard family, Brassicaceae. It has numerous common names including: Dame’s Rocket, Damask Violet, Dame’s Violet, Dames-wort, Dame’s Gilliflower, Night Scented Gilliflower, Queen’s Gilliflower, Rogue’s Gilliflower, Summer Lilac, Sweet Rocket, Mother-of-the-evening and, Winter Gilliflower. Plants are biennials or short lived perennials, native to Eurasia and cultivated in many other areas of the world for their attractive spring blooming flowers. In some of those areas, it has escaped cultivation and become a weed species. The genus name Hesperis is Greek for evening, and the name was probably given because the scent of the flowers becomes more conspicuous towards evening."__Wikipedia
July 24, 2009
treeseed commented on the user sionnach
I have forgotten how to create a new list. Please help me out?
July 23, 2009
treeseed commented on the word campho-phenique
According to my dad, the ultimate cold sore remedy...used to come in a little green bottle.
February 19, 2009
treeseed commented on the word paregoric
"Paregoric, or camphorated tincture of opium, also known as tinctura opii camphorata, is a medication known for its antidiarrheal, antitussive, and analgesic properties. It was a household remedy in the 18th and 19th centuries, when it was widely used to calm fretful children. In the 20th century its use declined as governments regulated it. (In the United States, paregoric can still be found in the pharmacopeia, but it is a Schedule III drug under the Controlled Substances Act.)
The principal active ingredient is powdered opium (containing the equivalent of 0.4 mg/mL of morphine). Other ingredients are benzoic acid, camphor, glycerin, anise oil and purified water. The main effect of this preparation is to increase the muscular tone of the intestine, and also to inhibit normal peristalsis. Its main medicinal use is to control fulminant diarrhea. It is also an antitussive (cough suppressant). Problems with its use include opiate dependency and analgesia which can mask symptoms of diseases that need treatment."
__WikipediaMy grandmother used to give this opium concoction to us for "crankiness."
February 19, 2009
treeseed commented on the word merthiolate
See Thiomersal
February 19, 2009
treeseed commented on the word thiomersal
"Thiomersal (INN) (C9H9HgNaO2S), or sodium ethylmercurithiosalicylate, commonly known in the United States as thimerosal, is an organomercury compound (approximately 49% mercury by weight) used as an antiseptic and antifungal agent.
It was developed and registered under the trade name Merthiolate in 1928 by the pharmaceutical corporation Eli Lilly and Company and has been used as a preservative in vaccines, immunoglobulin preparations, skin test antigens, antivenins, ophthalmic and nasal products, and tattoo inks.
In the U.S., the European Union, and a few other affluent countries, the compound is being phased out from vaccines routinely given to children.1 Packaging the vaccines in single-dose vials eliminates the need for bacteriostatics such as thiomersal
"_Wikipedia
February 19, 2009
treeseed commented on the word ootheca
egg mass of a mantis
February 3, 2009
treeseed commented on the word cantrap
n. 1. A charm; an incantation; a shell; a trick; adroit mischief. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, published 1913 by C. & G. Merriam Co., spelled: Cantrap
January 5, 2009
treeseed commented on the word haystacks
Also a cookie made with chow mein noodles, butterscotch and semi-sweet chocolate chips and dry-roasted peanuts...yummy.
December 29, 2008
treeseed commented on the user mollusque
Thank you for the warm welcome back, mollusque.
September 8, 2008
treeseed commented on the word gremlin
Some lady who is into Matrix Energetics told me she saw a gremlin sitting with a needle and thread, sewing and repairing my morphic field and then painting it over with a big brush and applying some clear sealant. Well, that is a nice helpful gremlin apparently. ;)
September 8, 2008
treeseed commented on the word morphic field
"Morphic field is a term introduced by British biologist Rupert Sheldrake, the major proponent of this concept, through his Hypothesis of Formative Causation in the early 1980s. It is described as consisting of patterns that govern the development of forms, structures and arrangements."
__Wikipedia
September 8, 2008
treeseed commented on the word hashimoto's thyroiditis
Hashimoto's thyroiditis or chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis is an autoimmune disease where the body's own T-cells attack the cells of the thyroid. It was the first disease to be recognised as an autoimmune disease.
This disorder is believed to be the most common cause of primary hypothyroidism in North America. It occurs far more often in women than in men (10:1 to 20:1), and is most prevalent between 45 and 65 years of age.
_WikipediaJuly 13, 2008
treeseed commented on the word delta wave
A delta wave is a high amplitude brain wave with a frequency of 1-4 Hertz which can be recorded with an electroencephalogram (EEG) and is usually associated with slow-wave sleep.
Delta wave activity occurs most frequently during stage 4 non-rapid eye movement sleep accounting for 50% or more of the EEG record during this stage.
_ WikipediaJuly 13, 2008
treeseed commented on the word hoochie coochie
The hoochie coochie was a sexually provocative dance that became wildly popular during and after the Chicago World's Fair in 1893. Described by the New York Journal in 1893 as "Neither dancing of the head nor the feet", it was a belly dance performed by women of (or presented as having) an Eastern European gypsy heritage, often as part of travelling 'side shows'. Cooch, coochie or cootchie was apparently already a Southern US term for a woman's private parts, and hoochie coochie has been suggested as referring directly to sex. The dance was still popular at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition: the World's Fair of 1904 but had all but disappeared by the Second World War, and so the Muddy Waters song was harking back to an earlier 'golden' era._Wikipedia
July 11, 2008
treeseed commented on the word frail
Cab Calloway uses this 1930s Harlem slang word meaning "woman" in his song Minnie the Moocher.
"Folks, now here's the story 'bout Minnie the Moocher,
She was a red-hot hootchie-cootcher,
She was the roughest, toughest frail,
But Minnie had a heart as big as a whale."
July 11, 2008
treeseed commented on the word delphine
Delphine is a Francophone female given name either meaning "of Delphi" or coming from the Latin "delphinus" meaning dolphin. _Wikipedia
July 11, 2008
treeseed commented on the word travois
A travois (Canadian French, from French travail, a frame for restraining horses; also obsolete travoy or travoise) is a frame used by Native Americans, notably the Plains Indians of North America, to drag loads over land. The basic construction consists of a platform or netting mounted on two long poles, lashed in the shape of an elongated isosceles triangle; the frame was dragged with the sharply pointed end forward. Sometimes the blunt end of the frame was stabilized by a third pole bound across the two main poles.
_Wikipedia
June 9, 2008
treeseed commented on the word root cellar
A root cellar is a structure that was used before the advent of electricity to store vegetables.
_Wikipedia
June 9, 2008
treeseed commented on the word rose water
Rose water or rose syrup is the hydrosol portion of the distillate of rose petals. Rose water, itself a by-product of the production of rose oil for use in perfume, is used to flavour food, as a component in some cosmetic and medical preparations, and for religious purposes throughout Europe and Asia.
Rose water has a very distinctive flavour and is used heavily in South Asian, West Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine—especially in sweets. For example, rose water gives loukoumia (turkish delight) and gulab jamuns their distinctive flavours. In Iran it is also added to tea, ice cream, cookies and other sweets in small quantities, and in the Arab world and India it is used to flavour milk and dairy-based dishes such as rice pudding.
_Wikipedia
June 9, 2008
treeseed commented on the word mouton
"Mouton fur is sheepskin which has been processed to resemble beaver or seal fur. Mouton is French for "sheep". Mouton fur refers to lamb hair which has been straightened, chemically treated, and thermally set to produce a moisture repellent finish. Mouton is often dyed brown to resemble beaver, but it is also found in many other colors."
_Wikipedia
June 9, 2008
treeseed commented on the word skeg
"In the vocabulary of surfers, a skeg is a stabilizing strut or fin located at the rear of the surfboard. A surf board skeg improves the board's fundamental directional stability and enables directional control by banking: varying the surfer's side to side weight distribution."
_Wikipedia
June 6, 2008
treeseed commented on the word calypso
From The Free Dictionary:
Noun
pl -sos a West Indian song with improvised topical lyrics probably from Calypso, sea nymph in Greek mythology
June 3, 2008
treeseed commented on the word surfin' bird
Surfin' Bird by The Trashmen
Partial lyrics:
A-well-a, everybody's heard about the bird
Bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a, bird, bird, bird, the bird is the word
A-well-a, bird, bird, bird, well, the bird is the word
A-well-a, bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a, bird, bird, bird, well, the bird is the word
A-well-a, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a, bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a, bird, bird, bird, well, the bird is the word
A-well-a, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a, don't you know about the bird
Well, everybody knows that the bird is the word
A-well-a, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a
Surfin' bird
Bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb, aaah
Well, don't you know about the bird
Well, everybody knows that the bird is the word
A-well-a, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow
Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow
Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow...
May 5, 2008
treeseed commented on the word pshaw
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary:
Main Entry: pshaw
Pronunciation: \ˈshȯ\
Function: interjection
Date: 1656
—used to express irritation, disapproval, contempt, or disbelief
April 30, 2008
treeseed commented on the word block party
A block party is a large public celebration in which many members of a single neighborhood congregate, either to observe an event of some importance or simply for mutual enjoyment. The name comes from the form of the party, which often involves closing an entire city block to vehicle traffic. Many times, there will be a celebration in the form of playing music and dance. Block parties gained popularity in the United States during the 1970s. Block parties were often held outdoors and power for the DJ's sound system was taken illegally from street lights. - Wikipedia
April 30, 2008
treeseed commented on the word diverticulitis
I think flaming shit pockets makes a dandy expletive.
April 30, 2008
treeseed commented on the word hors d'oeuvre
literally meaning "outside the work"
I find this definition adds greatly to my love of the word. I am ashamed to say I have used this word all my life and I never really knew what I was saying...the French language is filled with these beautiful descriptive nouns. Another case in point pomme de terre.
April 30, 2008
treeseed commented on the word ogonek
Ogonek (like a backwards cedilla, on the lower-right of a character). Used in Polish on the letters `a' and `e' to change their quality and nasalise them. - Everything.com
April 30, 2008
treeseed commented on the user skipvia
Hey Skip...
Do you know about the Music Genome Project? That ongoing project resulted in Pandora.com. It is a pretty cool online radio project where you can essentially program your own musical tastes...but anyway...they have some pretty kick-ass obscure garage bands on there...I thought I knew the genre well...ha!
Thought you might dig it.
April 22, 2008
treeseed commented on the word dipshit
Today a person I thought was a friend turned out to be a total dipshit.
April 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the list moon-unit-diva-thin-muffin-and-fifi-trixibelle
Shanda Lear
William (Bill) Powell Lear (26 June 1902 – 14 May 1978) was an American inventor and businessman. He is best known for founding the Lear Jet Corporation, a manufacturer of business jets. Bill Lear and his fourth wife, Moya, had four children: John, Shanda, David and Tina.
March 12, 2008
treeseed commented on the word goldschläger
Goldschläger is a Swiss cinnamon schnapps (43.5% alcohol by volume or 87 proof; originally it was 53.5% alcohol or 107 proof), a clear liqueur with very thin, yet visible flakes of gold floating in it. The actual amount of gold is extremely small and serves as a sort of novelty: there is currently less than a tenth of a gram (0.1 g) of gold flakes in a 750 ml bottle of Goldschläger, which, as of January 26, 2008, amounts to about 3.22 USD on the international gold market.
Despite having Swiss origins, Goldschläger is a product of Italy. A similar alcoholic beverage that contains gold is Gold Strike and another liqueur with floating bits of gold leaf is Danziger Goldwasser, a German root and herbal liqueur which has been produced since at least 1598. The German word Goldschläger actually means "gold leaf maker".
_Wikipedia
March 12, 2008
treeseed commented on the word kung pao
Kung Pao chicken (also spelled Kung Po chicken) is a classic dish in Sichuan cuisine, originating in the Sichuan Province of central-western China. The dish is named after Ding Baozhen (1820–1886), a late Qing Dynasty official. Born in Guizhou, Ding served as head of Shandong province and later as governor of Sichuan province. His title was G�?ng Bǎo (宮�?), or palatial guardian. The name "Kung Pao" chicken is derived from this title.
The dish exists in both traditional Sichuan and Westernized versions; the latter is more popular in the United States and Canada.
_Wikipedia
March 12, 2008
treeseed commented on the word portobello
Agaricus bisporus is known by many names several of which refer to different stages; "button mushroom" when sold, collected or eaten in young, unopened form, "Crimini mushroom" or "baby bella" an immature portobello, or "Portobello mushroom" as a large brown mature mushroom. It is known as the champignon de Paris in France. It is also often called simply "champignon" (the french word for "fungus") in several languages.
The cultivated mushroom is a member of the large genus Agaricus, which has numerous members which are edible, tasty and collected worldwide. The next best-known is the commonly collected wild mushroom (A. campestris), known in North America as the meadow mushroom or field mushroom in England and Australia. This can be found throughout much of the United States and Europe.
_Wikipedia
March 12, 2008
treeseed commented on the word spelt
Spelt is an ancient and lovely tasting grain in the wheat family. It makes a more crisp, dense bread, has less gluten than typical wheat. It is available as white or bleached flour or as a whole grain brown flour. Spelt pasta is also available.
March 12, 2008
treeseed commented on the word hoisin
Hoisin sauce, or Haixian Sauce, (hǎixi�?njiàng) also called suckling pig sauce, is a Chinese dipping sauce. The word Hoisin is a romanization of the Chinese word "海鮮" as pronounced in Cantonese. Despite the literal meaning of "seafood," Hoisin sauce does not actually contain fish. It is similar to the sweet noodle sauce made from fermented soybeans, but has the added ingredients of garlic, vinegar, and chili peppers. Additionally, it tastes less pungent than sweet noodle sauce. Mandarin-style Hoisin sauce ingredients include water, sugar, soybeans, white distilled vinegar, rice, salt, wheat flour, garlic, and red chili peppers, and several preservatives and coloring agents. Traditionally, Hoisin sauce is made using sweet potato.
_Wikipedia
March 12, 2008
treeseed commented on the word tamari
a type of Japanese soy sauce
Tamari (�?��?�り)
Produced mainly in the Chūbu region of Japan, tamari is darker in appearance and richer in flavour than koikuchi. It contains little or no wheat; wheat-free tamari is popular among people eating a wheat free diet. It is the "original" Japanese soy sauce, as its recipe is closest to the soy sauce originally introduced to Japan from China. Technically, this variety is known as miso-damari (味噌溜り), as this is the liquid that runs off miso as it matures.
_Wikipedia
March 12, 2008
treeseed commented on the word citronella
Citronella oil is one of the essential oils obtained from the leaves and stems of different species of Cymbopogon. The oil is used extensively as a source of perfumery chemicals such as citronellal, citronellol and geraniol. These chemicals find extensive use in soap, perfumery, cosmetic and flavouring industries throughout the world.
Citronella oil is also a renowned plant-based insect repellent, and has been registered for this use in the United States since 1948. The EPA considers oil of citronella as a biopesticide with a non-toxic mode of action. Research also shows that citronella oil has strong antifungal properties,and effective in calming barking dogs.
_Wikipedia
March 12, 2008
treeseed commented on the word so long
So Long is an idiomatic expression meaning goodbye
March 12, 2008
treeseed commented on the word esprit de corps
thefreedictionary.com:
feelings of pride and loyalty that are shared by members of a group
March 10, 2008
treeseed commented on the user chained_bear
I think sionnach is brave and wonderful for speaking up and I think, chained_bear, that you are exquisite for your efforts and love of words and sense of detail...Wordie is so cool..and so are we.
March 10, 2008
treeseed commented on the word phanerogam
sionnach, I tried googling that title and am coming up empty handed. Who is the author and do you know if the books are still available and if there are English translations? They sound delightful.
March 6, 2008
treeseed commented on the word getting on my last nerve
I hear that in Wisconsin, too.
March 6, 2008
treeseed commented on the list actors-whose-mere-presence-in-a-movie-will-cause-me-to-change-the-channel-immediately
chained_bear, I agree with you on Renee Zellweger although I call her Just-ate-a-lemon-face. I agree on Mel, too. I do have to watch the occasional Tom Cruise film because they're usally interesting...but I'm usally wishing there was another actor in the role.
March 1, 2008
treeseed commented on the word pretzel logic
I liked some of their work and Pretzel Logic was a good album but I can't get past the fact that Jeff "Skunk" Baxter is a defense consultant who advises the Pentagon and Congress and NASA on missile defense and national security. I just can't wrap my rock 'n roll mind around that. It would take some serious pretzel logic.
March 1, 2008
treeseed commented on the word niggertoe
I feel the same way, skipvia.
March 1, 2008
treeseed commented on the word pretzel logic
Convoluted thinking that is anything but logical, usually used to attempt to support a point that is insupportable.
Also:
Pretzel Logic is a Steely Dan album originally released in 1974. The album's opening song, "Rikki Don't Lose That Number", became the band's biggest hit, reaching #4 on the charts soon after the release of the album. The album itself went gold, and then platinum, reaching #8 on the charts.
February 29, 2008
treeseed commented on the word shanty
Also a shelter hauled out onto a frozen lake and left there during the ice fishing season...some of them are anything but crude. Some have fully stocked bars, television, beds, easy chairs. The fishermen fish through the ice via holes in the floor. My father has a collapsible portable one that he hauls back and forth with his snowmobile each time he goes fishing. He is of the fishing school of ice fishermen as opposed to the drinking and partying school of ice fishermen.
February 29, 2008
treeseed commented on the word heffalump
A heffalump is a fictional, elephant-like creature mentioned in the Winnie the Pooh stories by A. A. Milne. Heffalumps are mentioned in Winnie-the-Pooh (1926) and The House at Pooh Corner (1928). Although this is never explicitly stated, it is generally thought that heffalumps are elephants from a child's viewpoint (the word "heffalump" being a child's attempt at pronouncing "elephant"). E. H. Shepard's illustrations in A. A. Milne's original books depict heffalumps (as seen in Piglet's dreams) as looking very much like elephants.
_Wikipedia
February 29, 2008
treeseed commented on the word you're so dumb your feet stink.
A man I know who was a soldier in Viet Nam said that this is an expression used by the Vietnamese in their own language. It refers to someone who is driving a water buffalo and they are so dumb that they step in the cow-pies as they walk along. They use this expression to refer to anyone who is acting in a careless or stupid manner.
February 29, 2008
treeseed commented on the word hollow leg
Of someone with a big appetite it is sometimes said, "You must have a hollow leg!"
February 29, 2008
treeseed commented on the word talk to you by hand
It is said in Wisconsin...it means I'm going to spank you or hit you instead of talking to you in the usual way...often an idle threat to a child when they have not been listening to earlier admonitions. As in, "I'm all done telling you to stop it. Next time you do that, I'm going to talk to you by hand!"
February 29, 2008
treeseed commented on the word brownnose
Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
transitive verb
Etymology: from the implication that servility is equivalent to having one's nose in the anus of the person from whom advancement is sought
Date: circa 1939
: to ingratiate oneself with : curry favor with
— brownnose noun
— brown·nos·er noun
February 29, 2008
treeseed commented on the word bleeding heart
Someone with compassion or someone who is a "do-gooder."
Often seen as "bleeding heart Liberal" in the United States.
February 29, 2008
treeseed commented on the word belly up
Something is dying or failing, as in, "the relationship is going belly up."
Or meaning approaching the bar or taking a seat at the bar, as a verb, as in "belly up to the bar".
February 29, 2008
treeseed commented on the word thumb your nose
If you thumb your nose at something, you reject it or scorn it.
As in "Don't thumb your nose at the retail position. You may find it's a good opportunity."
February 29, 2008
treeseed commented on the word knuckle sandwich
Oh, jeeze! I just realized that this entire list exists that contains the word knuckle...so I will stop adding knuckle words to the Body Metaphors List...the whole list would fit on there...sorry.
February 29, 2008
treeseed commented on the word vamoose
"to decamp," 1834, from Sp. vamos "let us go," from L. vadamus, from vadere "to go, to walk," from PIE base *wadh- "to go" (cf. O.E. wadan "to go," L. vadum "ford").
_Online Etymology Dictionary
February 28, 2008
treeseed commented on the word browbeat
Browbeat "to bully" is first recorded 1581, originally "to bear down with stern or arrogant looks."
_Online Etmology Dictionary
February 28, 2008
treeseed commented on the word ass munch
This is a name my kids call someone who is an idiot. I don't know if it is used anywhere else.
February 28, 2008
treeseed commented on the word doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground
How funny, reesetee...maybe we should start using this expression but escalate to page ten.
February 28, 2008
treeseed commented on the word pointy-headed intellectuals
I just keep thinking of Jane Curtin and Dan Aykroyd and pointy-headed extraterrestrials.
February 28, 2008
treeseed commented on the word taking shank's mare
This saying means "walking." My grandmother used to say it.
February 28, 2008
treeseed commented on the word doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground
My father-in-law used to say "doesn't know his ass from page nine." I have no idea what that means but it has a nice ring to it.
February 28, 2008
treeseed commented on the word john travolta
that's what yech means, John... "fucking scientologist"
February 28, 2008
treeseed commented on the word magic marker
A trademark of the BIC Corporation as well as a genericized term (in the United States) for a felt tip marker with a wide tip as opposed to a fine tip. Originally, (in 1958) available in red or black, now available in many colors of ink, washable and permanent.
Marker pen, or marker, is a term used to refer to various kinds of pens which have their own ink-source and usually a tip made of a porous material, including felt or nylon. When the tip is made of felt it can be called a felt-tipped pen.
February 28, 2008
treeseed commented on the word john travolta
Yes, Grease is the Word. He was good when he was in Kotter's class, too. But now...yech!
February 28, 2008
treeseed commented on the word pointy-headed intellectuals
What former Vice President Spiro T. Agnew called President Richard M. Nixon's Eastern establishment critics
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word cold bay
Actually, skipvia, I am very interested by that and also by the population. Thank you!
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word cockbitten twice shy
a woman who has wised up after being pecked by a rooster for the second time....or....a woman who is not looking forward to being married again....or a woman who has been to some of the same bars as I.
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word cinder blockhead
A cinder blockhead is a guy who murders his wife in their own driveway with a cinder block from their own garage and tells the police a stranger did it as he stood by helplessly. This actually happened in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word john travolta
John Revolta
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word pugwash
I love the name of this town! Thank you, Mollusque.
Pugwash takes its name from the native Mi'kmaq word, "Paqweak," meaning "Shallow Water," in reference to the nearby river.
_Wikipedia
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word goodnews bay
a town in Alaska, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word cave creek
a town in Arizona, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word wide ruins
a town in Arizona, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word inspiration
a town in Arizona, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word many farms
a town in Arizona, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word oracle
a town in Arizona, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word silver bell
a town in Arizona, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word peach springs
a town in Arizona, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word sunnyslope
a town in California, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word cherry valley
a town in New York, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word jennie
a town in Arkansas, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word daisy
a town in Arkansas, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word marked tree
a town in Arkansas, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word mountain home
a town in Arkansas, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word cape porpoise
a town in Maine, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word little deer isle
a town in Maine, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word mars hill
a town in North Carolina, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word cyclone
a town in Missouri, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word cranberry lake
a town in New York, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word crooked creek
a township in Marion County, Arkansas
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word emerald
a town in Pennsylvania, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word rockhill furnace
a town in Pennsylvania, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word ordinary
a town in Virginia, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word grapeview
a town in Washington, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word bread loaf
a town in Vermont, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word island pond
a town in Vermont, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word mount snow
In Vermont, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word gays mills
a town in Wisconsin, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word wind lake
a town in Wisconsin, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word big piney
a town in Wyoming, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word point of rocks
Thanks, chained_bear!
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word three churches
a town in West Virginia, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word true
a town in West Virginia, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word stony bottom
a town in West Virginia, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word jumping branch
a town in West Virginia, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word cool ridge
a town in West Virginia, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word green sulphur springs
a town in West Virginia, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word gypsy
a town in West Virginia, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word burnt house
a town in West Virginia, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word twisp
a town in Washington, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word clover
a town in South Carolina, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word birchleaf
a town in Virginia, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word uncertain
a town in Texas, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word dripping springs
a town in Texas, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word driftwood
a town in Texas, USA
February 27, 2008
treeseed commented on the word circle back
a town in Texas, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word cedar bayou
a town in Texas, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word opal
a town in Wyoming, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word windy hill beach
a town in South Carolina, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word starlight
a town in Pennsylvania, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word star junction
a town in Pennsylvania, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word scenery hill
a town in Pennsylvania, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word little marsh
a town in Pennsylvania, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word harmony
a town in Pennsylvania, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word green lane
a borough in Pennsylvania, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word cornucopia
a town in Wisconsin, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word prairie farm
a town in Wisconsin, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word wheatland
a town in New York, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word black earth
a town in Wisconsin, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word weeping water
a town in Nebraska, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word blue island
a town in Illinois, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word thousand sticks
a town in Kentucky, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word wild horse
a town in Colorado, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word silverthorne
a town in Colorado, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word willow shade
a town in Kentucky, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word brownfield
Brownfields are abandoned, idled, or under-used industrial and commercial facilities where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contaminations.
In city planning, brownfield land (or simply a brownfield) is land previously used for industrial purposes or certain commercial uses that may be contaminated by low concentrations of hazardous waste or pollution and has the potential to be reused once it is cleaned up. Land that is more severely contaminated and has high concentrations of hazardous waste or pollution, such as a Superfund or hazardous waste site, does not fall under the brownfield classification.
In the United Kingdom and Australia, the term applies merely to previously used land.
_Wikipedia
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word lime creek
a town in Colorado, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word merrydale
a town in Louisiana, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word cold bay
a town in Alaska, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word kiana
a town in Alaska, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word hawk inlet
a town in Alaska, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word halibut cove
a town in Alaska, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word dot lake
a town in Alaska, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word circle
a town in Alaska, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word clear
a town in Alaska, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word clam gulch
a town in Alaska, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word three notch
a town in Alabama, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word sunflower
a town in Alabama, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word highland home
a town in Alabama, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word hazel green
a town in Wisconsin, USA (Grant County)
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word cottage hill
a town in Ohio, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word coffee springs
a town in Alabama, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word blue spring
a town in Maryland, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word robinwood
a town in Maryland, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word battles wharf
a town in Alabama, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word blue mountain
a town in Alabama, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word phlox
a town in Wisconsin, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word meddybemps
a town in Maine, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word winneconne
a town in Wisconsin,USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word shishmaref
a town in Alaska, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word russian mission
a town in Alaska, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word ruby
a town in Alaska, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word spring green
a town in Wisconsin, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word wild rose
a town in Wisconsin, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word glen flora
A town in Wisconsin, USA
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the list how-to-name-a-cat
Mystery or Silence
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word charm
a company of birds, a flock, expression used by Milton
_A Dictionary of Archaic and Provincial Words, Obsolete Phrases, Proverbs and Ancient Customs, by James Orchard Halliwell-Phillips, 1881
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word charmed-milk
Sour milk, butter milke. charme milke, Nomenclator, p.94
_A Dictionary of Archaic and Provincial Words, Obsolete Phrases, Proverbs and Ancient Customs, by James Orchard Halliwell-Phillips, 1881
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word dobby
a fool, a silly old man, also a kind of spirit. North.The dobbies seem to be similar to Scottish Brownies. They are well described by Washington Irving in his Bracebridge Hall, ed. 1822.
_A Dictionary of Archaic and Provincial Words, Obsolete Phrases, Proverbs and Ancient Customs, by James Orchard Halliwell-Phillips, 1881
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word grizzly bear
The Grizzly Bear started in San Francisco, along with the Bunny Hug and Texas Tommy and was also done on the Staten Island ferry boats in the 1900's. It has been said that dancers John Jarrott and Louise Gruenning introduced this dance as well as the Turkey Trot at Ray Jones Café in Chicago, IL around 1909. The Grizzly Bear was first introduced to Broadway audiences in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1910 by Miss Fanny Brice.
The dance was rough and clumsy. During the dance, the dancers would yell out: "It's a Bear!" The genuine Grizzly Bear step was in correct imitation of the movements of a dancing bear, moving or dancing to the side. A very heavy step to the side with a decided bending of the upper part of the body from one side to the other, a decidedly ungraceful and undignified movement when performed as a dance.
_Wikipedia
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word turkey trot
The turkey trot was a dance made popular in the early 1900s. The Turkey Trot was done to fast ragtime music popular in the decade from 1900 to 1910 such as Scott Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag. It lost favor to the Foxtrot in 1914.
The basic step consisted of four hopping steps sideways with the feet well apart, first on one leg, then the other with a characteristic rise on the ball of the foot, followed by a drop upon the heel. The dance was embellished with scissor-like flicks of the feet and fast trotting actions with abrupt stops.
_Wikipedia
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word texas tommy
The Texas Tommy is said by many to be the first swing dance. The main reason being that during this period (1909), all the dances were done in "closed" position, this was supposedly the first modern dance of the time to include the "break-away" step (dancing in open position) while using a basic 8 count rhythm. (The "break-away" step developed into a dance with the same name.) The dance was one of many that originated in the dancehalls of the Barbary Coast redlight district.
The Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco popularized and legitimized the low dancehall Texas Tommy along with the Bunny hug, Turkey Trot and Grizzly Bear. The hotel had a house band that regularly played the Texas Tommy song and was a major place to be for dancing. Who originated the Texas Tommy is obscure, most likely it was being done and someone capitalized upon it. Some say Johnny Peters, an African-American, developed the Texas Tommy in the Pre-1910s in San Francisco. Peters and Ethel Williams were masters of the dance and danced it regularly at the Fairmont.
_Wikipedia
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word jive
Jive is a dance style in 4/4 time that originated among African-Americans in the early 1940s. It is a lively and uninhibited variation of the Jitterbug, a form of Swing dance.
In Ballroom dancing, Jive is one of the five International Latin dances. In competition it is danced at a speed of 44 bars per minute, although in other cases this is reduced to between 32 and 40 bars per minute.
_Wikipedia
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word big apple
The Big Apple is both a partner dance and a circle dance that originated in the Afro-American community of the United States in the beginning of the 20th century. The exact origin of the Big Apple is unclear but one author suggests that the dance originated from the "ring shout", a group dance associated with religious observances that was founded before 1860 by African Americans on plantations in South Carolina and Georgia. The ring shout is described as a dance with "counterclockwise circling and high arm gestures" that resembled the Big Apple. It is still practiced today in small populations of the southern United States.
The dance that eventually became known as the Big Apple is speculated to have been created in the early 1930s by African American youth dancing at the House of Prayer Synagogue on Gates Street in Columbia, South Carolina. The synagogue was converted into a black juke joint called the "Big Apple Night Club".
_Wikipedia
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word balboa
Right you are, jennarenn!
Balboa is a form of swing dance that started as early as 1915 and gained in popularity in the 1930s and 1940s. It is danced primarily in close embrace, and is led with a full body connection. The art of Balboa is the subtle communication between the lead and follow, like weight shifts, that most viewers cannot see. As a result, Balboa is considered more of a "dancer's dance" than a "spectator's dance".
Balboa is danced to a wide variety of tempos. Because the basic is so small, Balboa can be danced to fast music (over 300 beats per minute). Balboa is also danced to slow music (under 100 beats per minute), which allows more time for intricate footwork and variations.
_Wikipedia
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word shag
The shag is a form of swing dancing that evolved from the jitterbug and jump blues of the big band jazz era and originated along the strands between Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Wilmington, North Carolina, during the 1940s. It is most often associated with beach music, a genre of rhythm and blues-based songs that lend themselves to this dance form. According to Bo Bryan, a noted shag historian and resident of Beaufort County, the term was coined at Carolina Beach, North Carolina. Today, the shag is a recognized dance in national and international dance competitions held across the United States.
In the dance the upper body and hips hardly move as the legs do convoluted kicks and fancy footwork. The man is the center of attention and the woman's steps are either mirror steps of the man's or a sort of marking time while he does spins and other gyrations.
The shag is the state dance of North Carolina and South Carolina, and is still popular amongst residents of both states.
The 1989 film Shag starring Bridget Fonda, Phoebe Cates, Annabeth Gish, and Page Hannah as four high school friends on their last road trip together before graduation, was filmed in Myrtle Beach and features the Carolina shag.
_Wikipedia
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word black bottom
Black Bottom refers to a dance which became popular in the 1920s, during the period known as the Flapper era.
The dance originated in New Orleans in the 1900s. The theatrical show Dinah brought the Black Bottom dance to New York in 1924, and the George White's Scandals featured it at the Apollo Theater in Harlem 1926 through 1927. Jelly Roll Morton, jazz player and composer, wrote the tune "Black Bottom Stomp" with its name referring to Detroit’s Black Bottom area. The dance became a sensation and ended up overtaking the popularity of the Charleston, eventually becoming the number one social dance.
"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" is a song by Ma Rainey which makes obvious allusions rather than being dance music.
_Wikipedia
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word cakewalk
Cakewalk is a traditional African American form of music and dance which originated among slaves in the Southern United States. The form was originally known as the chalk line walk; it takes its name from competitions slaveholders sometimes held, in which they offered slices of hoecake as prizes for the best dancers. It has since evolved from a parody of ballroom dancing to a fun fair like dance where participants dance in a circle in the hopes of winning a free cake.
_Wikipedia
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word breakaway
From 1919 to 1927, Breakaway was a popular swing dance developed from the Texas Tommy and Charleston in Harlem's African American communities. The Breakaway was danced to jazz, and while it often began in closed position, the leader would occasionally swing the follower out into an open position, hence "Breaking away". When in open position the dancers would improvise with fancy moves. Some variations included both dancers completely breaking away from each other to dance 'alone'. It is this 'breaking away' which revolutionised the European partner dancing structure, and by the late 1920s, Breakaway had been incorporated into Lindy Hop, which replaced it as a popular social dance.
_Wikipedia
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word lindy hop
Lindy hop is an African American dance that evolved in New York City in 1927. It was an organic fusion of many dances that preceded it or were popular during its development but was predominantly based on jazz, tap, breakaway and charleston. Lindy hop co-evolved with jazz music and is a member of the swing dance family. It is frequently described as a jazz or street dance.
In its development, lindy hop combined elements of both solo and partner dancing by using the movements and improvisation of African dances along with the formal eight-count structure of European partner dances. This is most clearly illustrated in lindy's basic step, the swingout. In this step's open position each dancer improvises alone; in its closed position men and women dance together.
_Wikipedia
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word horseshoe shuffle
country/western partner pattern dance
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the list pet-lover-s-names
Who said there is only one lover?
February 26, 2008
treeseed commented on the word macarena
"Macarena" is a song by Los del Río about a woman of the same name, or any woman from the La Macarena neighbourhood of Seville. It was very successful between 1995 and 1997.
The song became the second longest running #1 and best selling debut single of all time in the US. It was ranked the "#1 Greatest One-Hit Wonder of all Time" by VH1 in 2002. The song was associated with a distinctive fast dance. The song originally had no dance, and it eventually caught on with the rest of the world. The Macarena dance is performed in time with the refrain of the song. To perform the dance,
One places his/her arms forward, palm down, right arm, then left arm.
Then the dancer turns his arms over so that his palms are up, right, then left.
The dancer puts his hands on his shoulders, first right hand on left shoulder, then left on right.
Then the dancer puts his hands on the back of his head, again right, then left.
The dancer then places his arms on his hips, right hand on left hip, then left on right
Then the dancer's hands go on their respective hips or rear end, right then left
The routine finishes with a pelvic rotation in time with the line "Ehhhh Macarena!"
Then the dancer turns 90 degrees counter clockwise and repeats the same motions throughout the whole song.
_Wikipedia
February 25, 2008
treeseed commented on the word bossa nova
Bossa nova was a fad dance that corresponded to the bossa nova music. It was introduced in 1960 and faded out in the mid-sixties.
Bossa nova music, soft and with sophisticated vocal rhythms and improvisations, is well suited for listening, but failed to become dance music, despite heavy promotion for it as yet another dance craze of 1960s.
The style of basic dance steps suited the music, though. It was danced on soft knees that allowed for sideways sways with hip motions. It could be danced both solo and in pairs.
There were about ten various simple step sentences published.
_Wikipedia
February 25, 2008
treeseed commented on the word cinnamon cinder
The alcohol-free dance club for teenagers opened in 1962 at 11345 Ventura Blvd. in Studio City. Owned by KRLA disc jockey Bob Eubanks, the club spawned a TV show, a national chain of teen clubs and a pop record by the house band called "Cinnamon Cinder."
_http://www.americassuburb.com/gone.html
A dance called the Cinnamon Cinder was also popular at the club.
Here is a song that describes it:
THE CINNAMON CINDER
The Pastel Six
There's a place out Hollywood way
Where the crowd goes to play
They jump and shout and have a ball
And let me tell you that ain't all
They do the CC Cinnamon Cinder..
CC Cinnamon Cinder
CC Cinnamon Cinder...
Its a very nice dance.
You can do any step you choose
Its a dance of rhythm and blues
Just shake your shoulder and shuffle your feet
And keep in time to that low down beat
And do the CC Cinnamon Cinder..
CC Cinnamon Cinder
CC Cinnamon Cinder...
Its a very nice dance.
You can dance right out of this world
So hey boy get a girl
And hey girl get a boy
And come on down to that land of joy.
And do the CC Cinnamon Cinder..
CC Cinnamon Cinder
CC Cinnamon Cinder...
Its a very nice dance.
February 25, 2008
treeseed commented on the word apache
Apache is a highly dramatic dance associated in popular culture with Parisian street culture in the beginning of 20th century. The name of the dance is pronounced ah-PAHSH (not ah-PATCH-ee, like the Native American tribe). The dance is named after the nickname of street gang members, Apaches.
The dance is very brutal to the woman, and sometimes said to reenact a "discussion" between pimp and prostitute. It includes mock slaps and punches, the man picking up and throwing the woman to the ground, or lifting and carrying her while struggling or feigning unconsciousness. In some examples, the woman may fight back.
_Wikipedia
February 25, 2008
treeseed commented on the word madison
The Madison is a novelty dance that was popular in the late 1950s to mid 1960s. The Madison was created and first danced in Columbus, Ohio in 1957.
The Madison is a line dance that features a regular back-and-forth pattern interspersed with called steps. Its popularity inspired dance teams and competitions, as well as various recordings, and today it is still sometimes performed as a nostalgic dance. The Madison is featured in the John Waters movie Hairspray; and it continues to be performed in the Broadway musical Hairspray. Both the film and the musical feature one of many songs released during the Madison "craze" in the US.
An example of a 1960 song and album featuring music for the Madison is "The Tunetoppers at The Madison dance Party" with calls by Al Brown.
The Madison took on international flavor when Count Basie visited Columbus, Ohio in 1959 and adopted the dance as a feature of his entertainment when he played London and the continent, creating press notices in London.
The Madison basic danced in the film Hairspray is as follows:
Step left forward
Place right beside left (no weight)and clap
Step back on right
Move left foot back and across the right
Move left foot to the left
Move left foot back and acoss the right
Called steps included the Double Cross, the Cleveland Box, The Basketball, the Big "M", the "T"�? Time, the Jackie Gleason, the Birdland, and The Rifleman.
_Wikipedia
February 25, 2008
treeseed commented on the word hitch hike
Hitch hike was a dance craze of 1960s. It started with the 1963 Marvin Gaye's hit Hitch Hike and refueled with the gold disc of Vanity Fare, Hitchin' a Ride (1970).
The dance is extremely simple and is based on the hitchhiker's gesture: waving the stuck out thumb. The classical Motown pattern is three times right thumb to the right over the shoulder, clap hands, three times left thumb to the left over the shoulder, clap hands. All this is accompanied by the shimmy body ripples popular at these times.
Since these times the dance move firmly established itself in various line, club and jazz dances, especially disco, and may be seen, e.g., in John Travolta's dance films.
The style of the move depends on the dance and may be accompanied with steps back or sideways or hip movements.
_Wikipedia
February 25, 2008
Show 200 more comments...