highland fling
- noun
- /ˈhaɪlənd flɪŋ/
- UK
:
danza escocesa
- The dancers took to the stage in traditional attire for a spirited highland fling.
Examples
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She performed the highland fling at the annual Scottish festival.
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She performed a highland fling at the festival.
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Learning the highland fling takes practice and lots of energy.
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The highland fling is a traditional Scottish dance.
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During the festival, everyone eagerly participated in the highland fling, showcasing their best dance moves.
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She mastered the steps of the highland fling at the dance workshop, impressing everyone with her enthusiasm.
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At the wedding reception, the guests were delighted when the bride and groom performed a lively highland fling together.
Surface Forms
Morphology
Although 'highland' clearly points to the Scottish uplands, the common meanings of 'fling' for a B1 learner are 'brief affair' or 'to throw', not 'a type of dance'. The phrase is a culturally specific proper name for a traditional Scottish dance, so its full meaning is not predictably derivable from the constituents and would be unknown without prior exposure.
Etymology
The name highland fling comes from Scotland: highland means the Scottish hills and fling was an old word for a lively dance or a quick throw. Imagine a dancer on a hill doing fast jumps and kicks, so the phrase means a lively solo Scottish 'dance'.
