SHIMMY

Shimmy

A shimmy is a dance move in which the body is held still, except for the shoulders, which are alternated back and forth. When the right shoulder goes back, the left one comes forward. It may help to hold the arms out slightly bent at the elbow, and when the shoulders are moved, keep the hands in the same position. In 1917, a dance-song titled "Shim-Me-Sha-Wabble" by Spencer Williams was published, as was "The Jazz Dance", which included the "Shimmy-She", among others. Flappers often performed the dance in the 1920s. The origin of the name is often attributed to Gilda Gray, a Polish emigrant to America. An anecdote says that when she ...

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shimmy

Noun

  1. An abnormal vibration, especially in the wheels of a vehicle.
  2. A dance that was popular in the 1920s.
  3. A sleeveless chemise.

Verb

  1. To climb something (e.g. a pole) gradually (e.g. using alternately one's arms then one's legs.)
    He shimmied up the flagpole.
    The static made her dress shimmy up her leg.
  2. To vibrate abnormally, as a broken wheel.
  3. To shake the body as if dancing the shimmy.


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: shimmy
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

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