rug-cutting move
- noun
- Slang
:
paso de baile
- That rug-cutting move brought everyone to their feet in applause.
Examples
-
Jake surprised the crowd with an unexpected rug-cutting move during the competition.
-
She practiced a new rug-cutting move before the school dance.
-
Wow, what a great rug-cutting move!
-
That was an incredible rug-cutting move!
-
Jake surprised the crowd with an unexpected rug-cutting move during the competition.
-
She practiced a new rug-cutting move before the school dance.
-
That rug-cutting move brought everyone to their feet in applause.
Synonyms
20
2.6
A specific step or movement done during a dance
9
1.9
A set of foot movements that form part of a dance
A dance step in Lindy Hop that shows lively footwork
How Impressive
Surface Forms
Morphology
rug-cutting + move
The phrase relies on the idiom 'cut (a) rug' meaning 'to dance skillfully', so 'rug-cutting' is an idiom-derived modifier meaning 'dance-related' rather than literal rug cutting. A B1 learner who only knows the literal words 'rug' and 'cutting/move' would not predict the dance sense, so the expression is idiomatic and not compositional.
Etymology
Rug-cutting move comes from the old image of dancers who cut a rug by moving their feet so fast it looked like they were slicing the carpet. So a rug-cutting move means 'to dance very well' — a very lively or impressive step.