caracole
Americannoun
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a half turn executed by a horse and rider.
-
Rare. a winding staircase.
verb (used without object)
noun
-
dressage a half turn to the right or left
-
a spiral staircase
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of caracole
1650–60; < French < Spanish caracol snail, spiral shell or stair, turning movement (of a horse)
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The crude might of the queen was transformed into refined power, restrained and directed by a system of sparkling levers; the pawns grew cleverer; the knights stepped forth with a Spanish caracole .
From Time Magazine Archive
He began to rear and caracole as if he were about to suffer transformation into a colt.
From Time Magazine Archive
He went about it as steadily and deliberately as the horses go to plough; no attempt to caracole in the furrow, ready to stand still as long as you like.
From Amaryllis at the Fair by Jefferies, Richard
Most of the mansions, however, squat ephemerally upon the soil, no cellar to them, and no staircase, the total fragile box ready to bounce and caracole should the wind drive hard enough.
From The Jimmyjohn Boss and Other Stories by Wister, Owen
Leap -- N. leap, jump, hop, spring, bound, vault, saltation†. ance, caper; curvet, caracole; gambade†, gambado†; capriole, demivolt†; buck, buck jump; hop skip and jump; falcade†. kangaroo, jerboa; chamois, goat, frog, grasshopper, flea; buckjumper†; wallaby.
From Roget's Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases by Roget, Peter Mark
The waiter prodded the table to try caracoles, or snails, eaten by pushing a toothpick into the shell and dragging out the body.
From New York Times ● Jul. 15, 2011
But for $20 she swindled out of the warden as she was leaving her latest penitentiary she is penniless, but she caracoles into town as the Countess of Auburn.
From Time Magazine Archive
The market-lady caracoles around, and leads Browne to infer that his conduct is not approved, from her festooning that gentleman's eyes with heavy lines of crape.
From Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science Volume 12, No. 31, October, 1873 by Various
There it hums and caracoles, through the bottles and glasses; reckless what dangerous breakage and spilth it may occasion.
From History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 05 by Carlyle, Thomas
Thus!" he shouted, waving his hand to Amyas, between his curvets and caracoles, "did my illustrious grandfather exhibit to the Paynim emperor the prowess of a Castilian cavalier!
From Westward Ho!, or, the voyages and adventures of Sir Amyas Leigh, Knight, of Burrough, in the county of Devon, in the reign of her most glorious majesty Queen Elizabeth by Kingsley, Charles
Above Beirut's Place des Canons last week R.A.F. planes roared and caracoled.
From Time Magazine Archive
In front of it, as the week went on, a thousand horses paraded, galloped, caracoled — black and grey, hunter and hackney, carriage-horse and teamster.
From Time Magazine Archive
Shadow’s mount caracoled away from it, and Shadow stroked its neck and told it not to be afraid.
From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman
Then it was good to see and hear the fat Dorn as he caracoled in a field-marshal's uniform, and barked his orders at the disordered crowd like a field-marshal to the manner born.
From Schwartz: A History From "Schwartz" by David Christie Murray by Murray, David Christie
He pranced, he reared, he caracoled, he went through the whole manege.
From Under the Skylights by Fuller, Henry Blake
Prancing, caracoling or stiffly reined in, they constitute a lexicon of equine movement that Western art could hardly rival for another 1400 years.
From Time Magazine Archive
Of many existing causes for alarm, one minor one has been Author Louis Golding's caracoling cleverness, which has frightened away more than a few cautious readers.
From Time Magazine Archive
And, beside their equipages, like outriders in the cortege of a queen, caballeros and vaqueros sat their caracoling steeds.
From Port O' Gold A History-Romance of the San Francisco Argonauts by Stellman, Louis J. (Louis John)
She turned towards the drive, Smith caracoling at her side.
From The Girl on the Boat by Wodehouse, P. G. (Pelham Grenville)
The thoroughbred was caracoling on his other side in an instant.
From Stingaree by Hornung, E. W. (Ernest William)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
