Jitterbugged

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To have danced to lively jazz or swing music in a spirited manner
2. to have engaged in energetic and quick movements of the body often in a way that expresses joy
3. to have participated in a style of dancing characterized by improvisation and playful steps

Etymology: "Jitterbugged" is the past tense and past participle of "jitterbug," a verb for dancing the energetic, improvised style of the same name. The verb's history is the history of the dance: "jitterbug" first named a person, a jittery or nervous type, before it became the title of a 1934 song by Cab Calloway, "Jitter Bug," which gave the dance its name. The noun is a compound of "jitter," meaning a nervous tremor or agitation, and "bug," a word that in American slang has long meant an enthusiast or a fanatic. Together they describe someone who is wound up and carried away, which suits a dance built on quick, unpredictable steps.

Synonyms: danced, twirled, swung, grooved, bopped