cha-cha

noun

a fast ballroom dance of Latin American origin, similar to the mambo, that follows a rhythmic pattern based upon a quick three-step movement.

verb (used without object)

to dance the cha-cha.

Also, cha-cha-cha.

Origin:
1950–55; < American Spanish (Cuban) cha-cha-cha, probably imitative of the musical accompaniment

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins

World English Dictionary

cha-cha-cha or cha-cha (ˌtʃɑːtʃɑːˈtʃɑː)

—n
1.	a Latin-American ballroom dance with small steps and swaying hip movements
2.	a piece of music composed for this dance

—vb
3.	to perform this dance

[C20: from American (Cuban) Spanish]

cha-cha or cha-cha

—n

—vb

[C20: from American (Cuban) Spanish]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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00:10

Cha-cha is one of our favorite verbs.

So is bowdlerise. Does it mean:

to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable.

to flee; abscond:

LEARN MORE FUN, UNUSUAL VERBS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

cha-cha

"type of Latin-American ballroom dance," 1954, echoic of the music.

Matching Quote

"When we were at school we were taught to sing the songs of the Europeans. How many of us were taught the songs of the Wanyamwezi or of the Wahehe? Many of us have learnt to dance the rumba, or the cha cha, to rock and roll and to twist and even to dance the waltz and foxtrot. But how many of us can dance, or have even heard of the gombe sugu, the mangala, nyang'umumi, kiduo, or lele mama?"

-Julius K. Nyerere

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Related Words

mambo