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fox-trot

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fox trot

–noun
1. a social dance, in quadruple meter, performed by couples, characterized by various combinations of slow and quick steps.
2. a pace, as of a horse, consisting of a series of short steps, as in slackening from a trot to a walk.

Origin:
1870–75, Americanism

fox-trot

[foks-trot]
–verb (used without object), -trot⋅ted, -trot⋅ting.
to dance a fox trot.

Origin:
1915–20
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Encyclopedia

fox-trot

ballroom dance popular in Europe and America since its introduction around 1914. Allegedly named for the comedian Harry Fox, whose 1913 Ziegfeld Follies act included a trotting step, the fox-trot developed less strenuous walking steps for its ballroom version. The music, influenced by ragtime, is in 44 time with syncopated rhythm. The speed of the step varies with the music: half notes (minims) require slow steps; and quarter notes (crotchets), fast steps.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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