🕺 Dancing Attendance: People Pleaser Protocols 🤵
To obey someone’s slightest whim or wish, to act as someone’s obsequious flunky.
The term comes from the ancient custom of having the bride dance with every wedding guest, whether she wanted to or not. It has been used since the early sixteenth century, first in the sense of waiting for someone to grant an audience, as by John Skelton in “Why Come Ye Not to Court?” (1522):
“And syr ye must daunce attendance . . . for my Lord’s Grace hath now no time nor space to speke with you as yet.”
By Shakespeare’s time, it had been extended to being at someone’s beck and call, as captured in “Henry VIII” (Act 5, Scene 2):
“To dance attendance on their lordships’ pleasures.”
It had solidified as a cliché by about 1700.
Related Idioms and Expressions
- Beck and call: Always ready to comply immediately with someone’s requests.
- At your service: Ready to help or obey you.
- Toe the line: To conform to rules and laws, or better yet, the whims of a superior.
Synonyms
- Subservient: Prepared to obey others unquestioningly.
- Obsequious: Obedient or attentive to an excessive degree.
- Servile: Having or showing an excessive willingness to serve or please others.
Antonyms
- Independent: Free from outside control; not subject to another’s authority.
- Rebellious: Showing a desire to resist authority or control.
Humor-Filled Quotes
-
“Never stand begging for that which you have the power to earn.” – Miguel de Cervantes, bestowing timeless wisdom while probably twirling a quill.
-
“Remember, Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in high heels.” – Ann Richards, giving credit where credit is due with a twinkle in her eye.
Proverbs and References
- “Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh.” – Colossians 3:22, which fits better for a lexicon of paradoxes.
- “He who is not a good servant will not be a good master.” – Plato, ever the philosopher.
Literature & Media Suggestions
- Books: “Crime and Punishment” by Fyodor Dostoevsky (for a serious take on subservience), “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett (a modern twist on compliance and resistance)
- Songs: “Respect” by Aretha Franklin, “Chain Gang” by Sam Cooke.
Closing Remarks
And remember, sometimes choosing your own dance and partners is the most liberating, artistic expression. It’s better to twirl to your own tune than to march to the beat of someone else’s drum.
Feel inspired, and may your spirit dance freely,
Eve N. Crumbled
