caracole
Americannoun
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a half turn executed by a horse and rider.
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Rare. a winding staircase.
verb (used without object)
noun
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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:
He began to rear and caracole as if he were about to suffer transformation into a colt.
From Time Magazine Archive
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
We were now two against three--the White-mantle was saved--with a wonderful inimitable, caracole he placed his horse by my side.
From Gabriel A Story of the Jews in Prague by Kohn, Spiegfried
The warriors most famous for valor and strength advanced, making their horses caracole round about the fire.
From Sónnica by Blasco Ibáñez, Vicente
It fluctuated; the warriors who were there did not like to be aimed at; they began to zigzag, caracole, and diverge to right or left; several halted and commenced using their bows.
From Overland by De Forest, J. W. (John William)
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 little girl caracoles sedately, clad in a riding habit, and armed with a crop.
From Light by Wray, Fitzwater
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
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
In the presence of priests, and knights, and ladies assembled, the young knight sprang upon his horse and caracoled before the altar, brandishing his lance and his sword.
From Royal Children of English History by Nesbit, E. (Edith)
How complacently might I not then have vaunted in the beginning, have caracoled through the middle, and glorified myself at the conclusion of this my autobiography!
From Rattlin the Reefer by Marryat, Frederick
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
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
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)
As soon as she remarks that a man has a hobby-horse, she makes him ride it, puts it through all its paces, caracoling, leaping, haute école.
From Black Diamonds by Jókai, Mór
All abreast, spread out like a skirmish line, the seven horsemen clattered over the plain, making for the point where Texas Smith was about to plunge among the whirling and caracoling Apaches.
From Overland by De Forest, J. W. (John 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.
