fandango

[ fan-dang-goh ]

/ fænˈdæŋ goʊ /

noun, plural fan·dan·gos.

a lively Spanish or Spanish-American dance in triple time, performed by a man and woman playing castanets.

a piece of music for such a dance or one having its rhythm.

(especially in the southwest U.S.) a ball or dance.

Nearby words

fancy woman, fancy-free, fancy-pants, fancywork, fandangle, fandango, fandom, fane, fanega, fanegada, faneuil

Origin of fandango

From Spanish, dating back to 1740–50, of uncertain origin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for fandango

I attended one evening a fandango given by Mr. Ridley, an English gentleman, whose wife is a Californian lady.
What I Saw in California|Edwin Bryant
The Comandante with Roblado and the lieutenant figured at the fandango in full uniform.
The White Chief|Mayne Reid
We used to flourish away at the bolero, fandango, and waltz, and wound up early in the evening with a supper of roasted chestnuts.
Adventures in the Rifle Brigade, in the Peninsula, France, and the Netherlands|J. Kincaid.
At noon he had had to tell them, and tell Willett, who was teaching Lilian a fandango he had heard on the Colorado.
Tonio, Son of the Sierras|Charles King

By that time my three babies were dancing a fandango upon the roof of the car.
Curly|Roger Pocock

British Dictionary definitions for fandango

fandango

/ (fænˈdæŋɡəʊ) /

noun plural -gos

an old Spanish courtship dance in triple time between a couple who dance closely and provocatively

a piece of music composed for or in the rhythm of this dance

Word Origin for fandango

C18: from Spanish, of uncertain origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012