Kick Up Your Heels: Frolics and Festivities 🐴💃
Definition
To enjoy oneself exuberantly; to frolic.
Related Terms and Synonyms
- Caper: To leap or jump about playfully.
- Gambol: To skip about in play.
- Prance: To move around in a spirited manner.
- Revel: To take great pleasure in dancing and festivities.
- Romp: To play or frolic with great energy.
Antonyms
- Languish: To lose vitality and become weak or feeble.
- Mope: To act in a dejected and gloomy manner.
- Slug: To move sluggishly; lacking energy.
Humor-filled Quotes & References
- “You don’t stop dancing because you grow old; you grow old because you stop dancing.”
- Famous Frolic Moment: Though we didn’t see horses in Fred Astaire’s spectacular numbers, we sure saw a lot of prancing!
Proverbs & Common Phrases
- All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
- Let your hair down.
Historical and Literary Context
This term, which calls to mind a prancing horse or a vigorous dancer, originally meant to be knocked down or killed. Thomas Dekker used it in this sense in his play, The Honest Whore (1604): “I would not for a duckat she had kickt up her heeles.” The modern sense dates from the late nineteenth or early twentieth century.
Suggested Literature, Books, Songs, Poetry, and Movies
- Book: The Honest Whore by Thomas Dekker
- Song: “Dance the Night Away” by Van Halen
- Movie: Footloose - Perfect for dancing in defiance!
- Poetry: Read some of Walt Whitman’s more exuberant works, perhaps “Song of Myself”.
Quizzes! 🎉
### Which phrase means to play or jump about joyfully?
- [x] Kick up your heels
- [ ] Sit on your hands
- [ ] Breathe down your neck
- [ ] Shake in your boots
> **Explanation:** "Kick up your heels" means to play or enjoy oneself exuberantly. The others imply inaction, stress, or fear.
### Thomas Dekker used "kick up your heels" in which play?
- [x] The Honest Whore
- [ ] A Midsummer Night's Dream
- [ ] Hamlet
- [ ] The Tempest
> **Explanation:** Thomas Dekker used "kick up your heels" in his play *The Honest Whore* (1604).
### True or False: "Kick up your heels" originally meant to frolic.
- [ ] True
- [x] False
> **Explanation:** Originally, "kick up your heels" meant to be knocked down or killed. Its modern use, meaning to frolic, dates from the late nineteenth or early twentieth century.
### Which term is a synonym for "kick up your heels"?
- [ ] Slug
- [ ] Mope
- [ ] Languish
- [x] Prance
> **Explanation:** "Prance" is a synonym for "kick up your heels," meaning to move about energetically and joyfully.
Position your mind like a prancing horse, frolic in your thoughts, and always be ready to kick up your heels. Until next time, P. D. Playful 🐴💃
