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Glite Dictionary
to cut a rug

to cut a rug

6 8.4
To dance with a lot of energy and have fun
  • idiom
  • /kʌt ə rʌg/
  • Archaic
translation icon : bailar con energía
  • - Hey, babe, you wanna cut a rug?
  • Let's cut a rug
  • gonna cut a rug
  • know how to cut a rug

Examples

Synonyms

to dance
vsto cut a rug
579 1.0

To move quickly and lightly from side to side or up and down

is more energetic and enthusiastic than simple light shifting
to bust a move
vsto cut a rug
  • Informal
11 8.9

To dance with a lot of energy to show skill or have fun

is energetic and often shows longer continued enthusiasm
to get jiggy
vsto cut a rug
  • Slang
3 9.9

To dance in a lively, playful way

is energetic and enthusiastic but less playful or casual
to jive to the rhythm
vsto cut a rug
  • Informal
7.5

Dance quickly and happily to the beat of music

is more general energetic movement not focused on strict beat
to tear up the dance floor
vsto cut a rug
  • Informal
7.7

To dance with great energy and make people excited

is lively without aiming to impress others specifically
to dance like a demon
vsto cut a rug
  • Informal
7.7

To move your body with wild, strong energy and little control

is energetic but usually less wild and more controlled

Antonyms

to sit still
66 1.0

Stay seated without moving

How Energetic

to rave
3 7.7
to cut a rug
  • Archaic
6 8.4
to bop
6 6.1
to dance
∞ 1.0
to sway
77 2.4

Surface Forms

cut a rug infinitive
cut a rug past
cut a rug past participle
cutting a rug present participle
cuts a rug third person singular

Morphology

cut + a + rug

The meaning 'to dance energetically' is not derivable from the literal constituents 'cut' (to divide or slice) and 'rug' (a floor covering); the phrase is idiomatic and its dance sense is metaphorical/historical rather than compositional. Because this sense is colloquial and not predictable from the parts (and not paralleled transparently across languages), a B1 learner who only knows the individual words would unlikely infer the intended meaning.

Etymology

Cut a rug comes from a popular image: people danced so hard they seemed to cut the rug, wearing it away with their feet. That's why cut a rug means 'to dance energetically'.