lead swinger

9.9

A person who starts and encourages dancing at parties

noun
/liːd ˈswɪŋər/

: líder de baile

As the lead swinger of the group, he inspired even the shyest guests to join in.

Examples

At every wedding, the lead swinger fills the dance floor with energy and excitement.
People looked to the lead swinger for cues on which dance would come next.
The lead swinger knows how to get everyone dancing.
At the wedding, Mark was the lead swinger and kept the energy high.
As the lead swinger of the group, he inspired even the shyest guests to join in.
At every wedding, the lead swinger fills the dance floor with energy and excitement.
People looked to the lead swinger for cues on which dance would come next.

Synonyms

lead

vslead swinger

279 4.6

The main person who is in charge of a group or activity

is a prominent social figure who encourages dancing rather than holding a formal role

bandleader

vslead swinger

9 3.4

A person who leads a music group like a dance band or orchestra

is a social leader who encourages dancing and social activity rather than directing music

How Prominent

socialite

29 6.7

lead swinger

9.9

regular

111 2.8

to guest

7 4.3

wallflower

Informal

11 7.0

Surface Forms

lead swinger singular

lead swingers plural

Morphology

lead + swinger

The phrase is compositionally predictable: 'lead' (the main or principal person) + 'swinger' (one who swings or dances) yields a straightforward meaning of a principal dancer or social leader who encourages dancing. This follows a common English noun+agent pattern and, given knowledge of both constituents and context, a B1 learner should be able to infer the intended sense.

Etymology

Lead swinger probably comes from old dance halls where a confident dancer, the lead, would swing a partner and be the main swinger, so others watched and followed. So today a lead swinger is someone who 'leads' social fun and gets people to dance.