poussetten.

Brit.

/puːˈsɛt/, U.S.

/puˈsɛt/

Origin: Probably either (i) formed within English, by conversion. Or (ii) a borrowing from French. Etymons: poussette v.; French poussette.

Etymology: Probably either < poussette v., or independently < French poussette (see poussette v.). See discussion at poussette v.

In country dancing: a figure in which dancers join both hands with a partner and change places with another couple; an act of poussetting.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > dancing > movements or steps > [noun] > figure > figures in quadrilles and country-dances

allemande?1770

reel1804

pastourelle?1814

poussette1814

pastorale1822

ladies' chain1825

poussetting1836

tour1841

grand chain1864

first set1894

1814 T. Moore Mem. (1853) II. 31 Seeing the pretty tremble of her eyelids in a poussette.

1846 A. Smith Christopher Tadpole (1848) xii. 117 They gave a rapid poussette like the top and bottom people in Sir Roger de Coverley.

1898 T. Hardy Wessex Poems 119 Each time and every time she danced—Reels, jigs, poussettes, and flings.

1963 A. H. Franks Social Dance 209 It was quite as necessary to master the difficulties of Pas de basque, Chassez-croisez, with the regulation Balancé and Poussette, as it had been in the past century to grapple with the minute etiquette of the Menuet de la Cour or Gavotte.

1994 Herald (Glasgow) (Nexis) 26 Mar. 6 By late in the evening I was no nearer to being able to tell the difference between a poussette, an espagnole, and Miss Gibson's Strathspey.

2002 Times Educ. Suppl. (Nexis) 25 Jan. 5 The same attention to detail and clarity shows in the illustrated descriptions of foot positions, steps, dance formations and popular moves such as the poussette.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

poussettev.

Brit.

/puːˈsɛt/, U.S.

/puˈsɛt/

Origin: Apparently a borrowing from French. Etymon: French poussette.

Etymology: Apparently < French poussette, name of a children's game (1718; obsolete in this sense, now chiefly in sense ‘pushchair’; < pousser push v. + -ette -ette suffix). Compare later poussette n. In spite of the chronology of the first attestations, it is possible that the noun may have been earlier than the verb in English.

intransitive. In country dancing: to perform a figure in which dancers join both hands with a partner and change places with another couple. Also figurative.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > dancing > movements or steps > [verb (intransitive)] > figures > specific figures

set1652

balance1775

poussette1798

thread the needle1843

1791 Harris's Brit. Ladies Compl. Pocket Mem. Bk. 1792 6 Le Poussette with the top couple.]

1798 Ladies Physiognomonical Mirror 142 Three ladies lead round the three gentlemen, three gentlemen lead round the three ladies, promenade three couple, poussette.

1812 H. Smith & J. Smith Rejected Addr. 122 Dance, Regan, dance with Cordelia and Goneril, Down the middle, up again, poussette, and cross.

1873 H. Morley First Sketch Eng. Lit. (1882) 172 Europe was little edified to see the dance..set up by the two aged popes, who poussetted to each other about France and Italy.

1887 R. Cleland True to Type II. 206 The motley crowd was happy—poussetted, chassied and performed feats.

1995 C. De Luca Voes & Sounds 12 And now in 2's, Move up your set, Poussette!

Derivatives

pouˈssetting n.

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