buck and wing

American  

noun

1. a tap dance derived in style from Irish clog dances and Black social dances, marked especially by vigorous hopping, flinging of the legs, and clicking of the heels.

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buck and wing British  

noun

1. a boisterous tap dance, derived from Black and Irish clog dances

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Etymology

Origin of buck and wing

An Americanism dating back to 1890–95

Example Sentences

This is a dance spectacular with a company that has mastered every buck and wing, every tap and shuffle, every glide.

From Seattle Times • May 27, 2010

Fitfully hazarding a buck and wing, he boasted: "I did four shows a day at McVickers' in Chicago right after the Armistice."

From Time Magazine Archive

One of the Russian cats got the spirit and did a buck and wing routine that flipped everybody's wig.

From Time Magazine Archive

The reader hears all about Sherwood's sensational buck and wing, his low-keyed Algonquin witticisms, his red-eyed passion for high-stakes poker, model airplanes, and croquet in Central Park at $10 a wicket.

From Time Magazine Archive

“Say, Birdie, you’ll sure have me buck and wing dancin’ if you keep that up!” remarked the man of the shears.

From The Prairie Child by Ward. E. F. (Edmund Franklin)