Jitterbugs

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of lively dance popularized in the early 20th century, characterized by energetic movements and improvisation
2. A term referring to enthusiastic dancers who perform this energetic style, often in social settings
3. Describing restlessness or nervousness often accompanied by fidgeting, associated with the energetic flair of the dance style

Etymology: "Jitterbug" is a compound of "jitter" and "bug." "Jitter" describes a quivering, nervous motion, and "bug" in older American slang could mean a crazy person or an obsessive enthusiast, as in "bughouse" for a madhouse. Put together, a jitterbug was someone rattled and agitated, which matches the restlessness and fidgeting in the meaning given here. The dance seems to have taken its name from that slang rather than giving it. Its fast, jerky, energetic steps looked like the twitchy movements of an agitated person, so the label suited the dancers who threw themselves into it. The nervous-person sense of the word is likely the older of the two, with the dance borrowing a name that already described a jittery state.

Synonyms: swing dancers, dance enthusiasts, jive dancers, party-goers, social dancers