| 释义 |
‖ cancan|kɑ̃ːkɑ̃, ˈkænkæn|
[F. (16th c. in Littré), noise, disturbance, ‘rumpus’, also the dance. Of uncertain etymology, the popular fancy being that it is the L. quanquam, about the proper pronunciation of which a noisy wrangle is said to have occurred in the French schools. But Littré also points to an OF. caquehan tumultuous assembly; Scheler thinks it the vbl. n. from cancaner, which he thinks was ‘to quack as a duck’.]
A kind of dance made popular at the public balls in Paris, with extravagant and indecent gestures. Comb., as cancan-dancing ppl. a.
1848H. Greville Leaves fr. Diary 269 Wearing a beard, smoking a short pipe, dancing the cancan. 1882A. E. Sweet Sk. from ‘Texas Siftings’ 36 He usually compromises by dancing the Can-can. 1894G. du Maurier Trilby II. vi. 201 This long-legged, cancan-dancing, Quartier Latin grisette.
Hence ˈcancaning ppl. a. [Cf. F. cancaner to dance the cancan.]
1865Daily Tel. 5 Dec. 3/5 The shouting, dancing, cancaning crowd. |